blue wild rye
Elymus glaucus
USDA zones4 to 9
SunHandles full sun to partial shade
WaterHandles dry to moist soil
Size1 to 5 feet tall12 inches wide
- Habit
- Grass/grass-like
- Bloom season
- Spring, summer, autumn
- Bloom color
- Yellow
- Foliage color
- Gray-green
- Soil types
- Sand, loam, clay, chalk
- Soil pH
- Acid, alkaline, neutral
Garden uses
Attracts
Notes
Blue wild rye (Elymus glaucus) is a grass for borders, meadows, woodland gardens, and low maintenance plantings. It is hardy to USDA zone 4, or down to -30°F (-34°C). This plant likes full sun to part shade and dry to moist soil of most types. It is not a favorite of deer, though hungry deer will eat almost anything. It forms loose to dense tufts of blue-green leaves with erect to somewhat nodding seedheads. It also helps control erosion.
Pairs well with Idaho fescue, Seaside daisy, Common snowberry, and Purple needle grass.
Native range
AK, AR, AZ, CA, and 23 more places. See all 27
AK, AR, AZ, CA, CO, ID, IL, MI, MO, MT, ND, NM, NV, NY, OK, OR, SD, TX, UT, WA, WY; AB, BC, MB, NT, ON, SK, and YT.