Bottlebrush grass

Elymus hystrix

Native to: All of New England

Life cycle: Perennial

Light: Partial/Full Shade

Soil Moisture: Medium to Medium-Dry

Height: 3-5’
Spread:
Spacing: 12-18"

Blooms: June-August
Bloom Color: Green

Natural Habitat: River or stream floodplains, forests, ridges or ledges, woodlands

Benefits: Bird Favorite, Host Plant (eg. Northern Pearly Eye), Attracts Butterflies, Benefits Other Pollinators/Wildlife, Drought Tolerant, Deer/Rabbit Resistant, Low Maintenance

“The unique form and texture of the seed head makes this grass a showstopping addition to any border or meadow garden. Bottlebrush grass forms clumps and will seed around in favorable conditions. It is one of the most shade tolerant grasses native to the northeast and is resistant to deer.”

– Native Plant Trust

“Eastern bottle-brush grass is a common grass of rich, moist floodplain and deciduous forests, where it is often found with sugar maple (Acer saccharum), american basswood (Tilia americana) or white ash (Fraxinus americana), or in dry to moist woodlands and hilly forests with neutral to basic bedrock… This grass is unmistakeable for its widely-spaced, spreading, long-awned spikelets arrayed along a long axis.”

– Go Botany