Grassy seedheads may tickle your fancy Not all plants with pleasing textures are hairy. Plants with supple blades of foliage or feathery seedheads evoke a different kind of sensation. When you brush them over your skin, they arouse a light, pleasant tickle. Margaret Eldred passes through a tall, feathery stand of fennel that flanks her vegetable garden entrance.
Grasses are interesting all year.
I pat the clumps of blue fescue edging my front border whenever I walk by. But the real pleasure of grasses comes when they are going to seed. Each has a different texture. It's at its best in fall, when the flower spikes turn from purple to tan. 3-foot long plumes with the nubby texture of raw silk that reside atop tall stalks.