Elymus
Wild rye, Lyme grass, Wheatgrass
- Height × spread
- 0.15m – 0.15m × 0.5m – 0.5m
- Position
- Full sun
Availability
Please ask in store about availability
Many plants are seasonal. Call 01234 567890 to check current stock.
About this plant
There are only a few forms of the wild rye that are attractive in a garden setting. The seed heads, with their arching habit and whiskery appearance, nod and move in an attractive manner and are best positioned where they can be seen in some isolation, or their character is lost. There are forms available with bluish foliage as well. They can be invasive if well suited to the planting site.
- Foliage colour
- Blue
- Variegated
- No
- Scent
- No
- Shape
- Fan
- Height
- 0.15m – 0.15m
- Spread
- 0.5m – 0.5m
- Season of interest
- Spring, Summer, Autumn
- Evergreen
- Deciduous
- Garden style
- Seaside garden, Gravel garden
- Sun or shade
- Likes full sun
- Soil type
- Chalk, Gravelly soil, Loam (normal), Poor soil, Sandy soil
- Soil pH
- All types
- Drainage
- Well drained soil, Dry soil, Drought resistant
- Winter hardiness
- Varies, most are hardy
- Borders & containers
- Borders
- Use for
- Ground cover
- Hazards
- No
Spring
Spring-Autumn · Outdoors
Water in dry periods
Established plants in the ground can cope with 7-10 days of dryness, and shrubs often manage 2 to 3 weeks. Water one section of the garden thoroughly each day rather than a little everywhere. Check plants in pots more often, especially in hot weather.
Spring - early · Planting
Prune to the ground
Cut foliage to the ground before new growth starts.
Where stems are grown for their ornamental value, old stems should be removed either before new growth starts in spring, or during winter when they begin to look ragged or untidy.
Spring - early-mid · Planting
Divide when too large
The plant can be divided if it becomes too large or another plant is required. This may involve physically dividing the clump in two, removing offsets or small bulbs or dividing rhizomes. The new plants can be grown in pots or planted in the ground.
Summer
Summer - early · Outdoors
Feed a general fertiliser
Where plants have moderate needs for nutrients, they can simply be given a general feed, fairly early in the growth season so that the growth has plenty of time to harden off before the cold weather.
Give plants a general boost with the application of a general purpose fertiliser which is spread around the root area of the plant, with amounts as directed on the feed label.