Elymus virginicus

Common Names

Virginia Wild Rye, Virginia Wildrye, Eastern Wild Rye

Summary

Virginia wild rye is a native cool-season perennial bunch grass in the Poaceae family. It forms tufts 2–4 ft tall with flat green to blue-green leaves and erect bristly seed heads 1.5–6 inches long, two spikelets per node; flowering occurs May to September; it is native to North America and occurs in bottomland forests, moist prairies, stream banks, and floodplains; it grows best in full sun to partial shade and moist loams or clays, tolerating a range of soils when moisture is adequate; it self-seeds and spreads by tillers, providing erosion control and wildlife value, and is deer resistant. In cultivation, Virginia wild rye grows best in full sun to partial shade on moist, fertile, well-drained loams and tolerates a wide range of soils if moisture is adequate; it propagates by division or seed and self-seeds freely; uses include erosion control, riparian plantings, wild/native plantings, rain gardens, and habitat for wildlife; hardy in USDA zones 3–8; maintenance is low.

Lifecycle

Perennial

Height

2-4 feet

Spread

12-24 inches

Hardiness Zones

Zones 3-8

Sunlight Requirements

Ideally Full Sun to Partial Shade.

Soil Type

Moist, well-drained loamy soil

Soil Drainage

Moist, well-drained loamy soil.

Soil pH

5-7

Bloom Color

Green

Bloom Time

Spring, Summer, and Fall (May–September)

Foliage Color

Green, bluish-green, grayish-green, silvery blue-green

Fall Foliage Color

Green

Leaf Lifecycle

Deciduous

Growth Rate

Fast

Seasons of Interest

Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter.

Propagation Methods

Seeds, Division (via tillers), Cuttings, Stolon

Attracts Wildlife

Attracts birds, attracts butterflies