Elymus canadensis

Elymus canadensis: Wheat-Like Heads Nodding in the Breeze

This native grass grows long, bristly seed heads that nod off like it's stuck through a very long wedding speech. Blue-green blades, a laid-back attitude and a side job raising skipper butterflies. WILD RYE, NO CHASER.

Plant Characteristics:

• Botanical Name: Elymus canadensis
• Common Name: Canada Wild Rye, Canadian Wild Rye, Nodding Wild Rye
• Height: 90–150 cm (3–5 ft)
• Spread: 60–90 cm (2–3 ft)
• Flowers: Grass grown for foliage and form. Long, bristly, nodding seed heads ripen from green to tan.
• Bloom Time: Summer into early fall (July to September), with seed heads lasting into winter
• Foliage: Blue-green, turning tan in fall
• Features: Larval host for skipper butterflies, seeds for birds

Where to Plant: Canada wild rye belongs in meadows, prairie plantings, naturalized slopes and the wilder edges of a property. It's often used as a quick nurse grass in new native plantings, and it holds soil well on banks. It handles clay, sand and loam.

Companion Plants: Plant Canada wild rye in a dry, sunny or lightly shaded native bed with flowers low in front and tall behind. Arctostaphylos uva-ursi carpets the front at 10 to 20 cm with spring flowers and red berries. Campanula rotundifolia adds pale blue harebells at 15 to 45 cm from June to September. Coreopsis lanceolata brings golden daisies at 30 to 60 cm from May to July. Agastache foeniculum adds lavender-blue anise hyssop at 60 to 120 cm from July to September.

Plant Care: Plant in full sun to part sun in average, well-drained soil. It isn't fussy about soil type. Water through the first season, then let it handle normal summer weather on its own. This is a short-lived perennial. It usually keeps its place in the garden by self-seeding, so leave a few seed heads if you want it to stick around. Avoid planting it right beside a spot where dogs play, because the bristly awns can catch in fur and eyes. Cut the clump back to about 10 cm (4 in) in early spring, before new growth starts. Division is rarely needed.

History: Canada wild rye is native across much of North America, including southern Ontario and Quebec, in prairies, savannas, open woods and along riverbanks. Its relatives include the cereal grains, which explains its wheat-like seed heads.

Final Thoughts: Let it loose in a sunny meadow corner and leave the seeds for the birds. LOW EFFORT FOR YOU, FULL BUFFET FOR THEM.