The tongue-shaped, silvery green leaves may be soft and velvety to the touch, but this lamb's ears is actually quite tough. Drought tolerant once established and capable of thriving in dry, rocky soils, 'Big Ears' (aka Helen von Stein) can form a dense, low-growing mound, six to twelve inches tall, and up to 36 inches wide, moderately fast. Tall spikes of purple flowers appear irregularly, attracting bees, but they can be removed to promote better foliar growth. One caveat - lamb's ears fare better in sunny locations where the leaves can dry out between watering. Humidity and too much moisture may cause the leaves to rot, and though semi-evergreen here in the Pacific NW, 'Big Ears' may "brown out" in the winter.