Approximately 25 seeds per pecket
Collected: 2024
Packaged: 2025
Germination code: ★ None
Please refer to our germination codes and growing information for recommendations and tips.
No seed treatment needed: this species requires no pre-treatment to begin germination. Sow seeds outdoors when temperatures are reliably 60°F to 70°F or above.
Seeds of this species appreciate being covered by a thin layer of soil or buried when sown to aid in germination. A general rule of thumb is to cover them with a layer of soil no more than two to three times their width. However, it's better to plant seeds shallow, and most seeds will germinate even if surface sown. (Optional) Sprinkling a layer of sterile sand or vermiculite overtop the soil and sown seeds usually won't negatively impact germination, and may help to maintain soil moisture and deter mold.
Elymus hystrix (Bottlebrush grass) Seed Packet
Virginia ecotype
Name: Elymus hystrix (Bottlebrush grass)
Duration: Perennial, cool season bunchgrass
Habit: Upright, clumping, arching
Size: 3-5 ft. high, half as wide
Habitat: River banks, woodland edges,
Moisture: Dry to moist, well-draining
Light: Full sun, part sun, shade
Soils: Clay, loamy, sandy, rocky
Uses: garden texture, woodland gardens, riparian areas, rain gardens, shade gardens, erosion control
Elymus are cool season grasses, meaning this genus makes active growth during late fall, winter, and much of spring, going dry and dormant in the hotter months of summer. The grass blooms in spring, sending up 2-5 foot tall peculiar seedheads.
The seeds are arranged like the bristles of a bottle brush, with spindly, widely spaced awns 1-2 inches long. The stems and airy heads cure to a hay color, and stay up through the later half of the year, providing vertical, unique texture in a garden or woodland for many months.
Growing in clumps on well-drained soil, bottlebrush grass adapts to a wide range of conditions including heavy clay and gravely soils, but prefers the rich loam of decayed leaf litter. Elymus hystrix are adaptable to grow in part sun and shade, such as under deciduous trees, where few native grasses thrive. Useful for soil stabilization, and is deer resistant. We find dense plantings of the Elymus genus useful for combating colonies of Japanese stiltgrass.
Bottlebrush grass is a larval host plant for numerous skipper butterflies, including the Northern pearly-eye butterfly (Lethe anthedon), which feeds on several native grasses. The stems and leaves provide nesting material and shelter for insects, mammals and birds. Small mammals consume the seeds.