Hystrix patula

Hystrix patula: Bristly Bottlebrushes for Shady Spots

Bristly green spikes that look exactly like the brush you never clean the bottles with. This native grass grows in sun or shade, laughs off deer and rabbits and handles DRY SHADE LIKE IT'S NO BIG DEAL.

Plant Characteristics:

• Botanical Name: Hystrix patula (syn. Elymus hystrix)
• Common Name: Bottlebrush Grass, Eastern Bottlebrush Grass
• Height: 60–120 cm (2–4 ft) in flower
• Spread: 30–50 cm (1–1.5 ft)
• Flowers: Bristly green spikes that age to tan, held well above the leaves
• Bloom Time: Early summer (June to July)
• Foliage: Dark green, arching, cool-season leaves in a loose clump
• Features: Rabbit resistant, tolerates dry shade once established, a larval host for several moths and the northern pearly-eye butterfly

Where to Plant: This is a grass for the places other grasses avoid: woodland edges, under high tree canopy, along a shady fence, or in a native or naturalized planting. It handles dry shade once settled, and the seed heads are good in fresh or dried arrangements.

Companion Plants: Aruncus 'Chantilly Lace' carries cream plumes at 60 to 80 cm in June and July and grows in shade or sun. Dicentra 'Luxuriant' adds red flowers at 30 to 38 cm from May through August. Aralia 'Sun King' rises to 90 to 180 cm with white flowers from July into September. All three grow in shade to partial sun, like this native grass.

Plant Care: Plant in spring or early fall in average, well-drained soil. It isn't fussy and handles clay, loam and fairly dry ground. Water regularly through the first season. After that, it rarely needs help. Individual plants can be short-lived, but it seeds itself around gently, so a patch tends to persist. If you don't want seedlings, cut the stems before the seed heads shatter in late summer. Cut the old foliage back in early spring before new growth starts. Divide in spring if a clump becomes crowded.

History: Bottlebrush grass is native to open woods and woodland edges across eastern North America, from eastern Canada south through the eastern United States. It was first placed in the genus Hystrix, from the Greek word for porcupine, though botanists now group it with the wild ryes in Elymus.

Final Thoughts: It feeds caterpillars, ignores the deer and fills the tough spots. Plant it under the trees and SCRUB THAT PROBLEM AREA OFF YOUR LIST.