Virginia Wild Rye,  Elymus virginicus 

A versatile native cool-season grass that provides structure and excellent wildlife cover in sunny or shady naturalized areas. 

An invaluable component of native habitats, providing essential resources as a host plant, food, cover and shelter, and deer resistance. It is a larval host plant for several native skippers and butterflies, including the Common Wood-Nymph and the Northern Cloudywing. The seed heads, which mature in late summer, are an important late-season food source for various small seed-eating birds (such as sparrows, finches, and buntings) and ground birds (like Quail). The dense, upright foliage provides excellent nesting material and year-round cover and shelter for small mammals and ground-nesting birds.

Deer Resistance: While deer may occasionally browse young shoots, this grass is generally resistant to heavy deer pressure.

Conditions

• Full Sun to Partial Shade. Thrives in partial shade, making it one of the best native grasses for woodland edges and open woods. Tolerates full sun if moisture is sufficient.

• Soil.  Medium to Moist and highly tolerant of various soil types (sand, loam, clay) but prefers medium to moist conditions.

• Medium water needs. Does best with consistent moisture but can tolerate dry periods once established. Found naturally along stream banks and moist forest floors.

• Hardiness.  A reliable, cool-season perennial grass, hardy in USDA Zones 3 through 8.

• Grows 2 to 4 feet tall in erect clumps, with flowering spikes that appear stiffly upright or slightly nodding.

• Growth Habit. Forms tight clumps and spreads primarily by self-seeding, making it easy to manage.

Propagation

Elymus virginicus is a cool-season grass. Its seeds are dormant and require cold-moist stratification to break dormancy and ensure high germination rates. Use Winter Sowing or one of the following. 

Sow seeds directly outdoors in late fall or early winter (November to January) about 1/4 inch deep in a prepared site. The natural cold and moisture of winter will provide the necessary stratification, and seeds will germinate in early spring.

 Artificial Cold-Moist Stratification. 60 days before you plan to sow in the spring, mix the seeds with a small amount of moist (not soggy) sand or peat moss. Place the mixture in a labeled, sealed plastic bag and store in your refrigerator for 60 days. 

Sow seeds about 1/4 inch deep in pots or trays filled with a sterile, moist seed-starting mix. Place in a bright, cool location. Germination is usually rapid once the cold period is over and temperatures reach 50 F.