Purple needle grass (Stipa pulchra) in a garden setting evokes a sense of a wilder place. The flowers have a slight tinge of purple and a lovely silvery shimmer seen en masse from a distance, creating a pleasing effect on the spring breeze. In a mixed border with annual wildflowers, perennials and native “bulbs”, purple needle grass gives the feeling of time spent wandering in the hills. Many of us never think much about grasses but somehow feel comforted when our grassland cloaked hills turn green at the onset of winter rain. As spring stretches into summer, distinct clumps of this perennial bunch grass extend two- three foot long flowering stems above their leaf blades. The flowers of a grass look from a distance like already formed seed. But if …
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