Virginia wildrye
Elymus virginicus
USDA zones3 to 9
SunHandles full sun to partial shade
WaterHandles moderate to moist soil
Size2 to 4 feet tall12 to 24 inches wide
- Habit
- Grass/grass-like
- Bloom season
- Spring, summer, autumn
- Bloom color
- Greenish
- Foliage color
- Green
- Soil types
- Sand, loam, clay
Garden uses
Attracts
Notes
Virginia wildrye (Elymus virginicus) is a grass for pollinator gardens, woodlands, and rain gardens. It is hardy to USDA zone 3, or down to -40°F (-40°C). This plant likes full sun to part shade and average to moist, sandy, loamy, or clay soil. Birds and small mammals eat the seed and use the plant for nesting material. Deer usually look elsewhere for a meal. Butterflies and bees also visit the greenish flowers.
Pairs well with Spotted joe-pye weed, Sensitive fern, and Aromatic aster.
Native range
North America.