Virginia Wild Rye is a graceful, short-lived perennial similar to Canada Wild Rye, but with a smaller, less showy seed head. It actively grows during the spring and fall when soil temperatures are cool. Common companions to this cool season grass are warm season grasses like Big Bluestem, Little Bluestem, Indian Grass, and Switch Grass. As shown in the above photo, Virginia Wild Rye turns attractive shades of tan and crimson in the fall.
As a fast-growing grass, Virginia Wild Rye is a good choice for erosion control and stream bank stabilization. It prefers rich, moist areas in clearings or along the forest edge, but can also grow in drier, sunny conditions as well. Its tolerance to shade makes it a good pioneer species for woodland restorations, especially when planted along with Bottlebrush Grass. This species readily reseeds. For these reasons it can also be used as a native Cover Crop. Use 1-5 lbs per acre when seeding with your native seed mix.
Various insects feed on Virginia Wild Rye and other species in the Elymus genus, including leafhoppers, aphids, and leaf beetles. Caterpillars of various leaf miner moths mine the leaves of these grasses, and caterpillars of the False Wainscot Moth also eat the leaves. Livestock may forage on Virginia Wild Rye, however as the plant matures, seedheads of Virginia Wild Rye may be sharp and can cause injury to grazing animals so they generally leave it alone later in the season. In a garden setting or a prairie, the sharp awns could pose a risk to pets.
Map Key
This map shows the native and introduced (adventive) range of this species. Given appropriate habitat and climate, native plants can be grown outside their range.
5 Questions asked on Elymus virginicus
*PLEASE NOTE: we are a mail order nursery and have no retail facilities, but you may pick up your order if prior arrangements are made. Pick up orders are subject to **MN Sales Tax.
Shipping & Handling Charges
SEED $100.00 and under: $5.00
Retail SEED orders over $100.00 ship free!
Custom seed mixes or discounted seed sales over $100, add 5% of the total seed cost
(for orders over $1,000 a package signature may be required)
BARE ROOT and POTTED PLANTS $50.00 and under: $9.00
over $50.00: 18% of the total plant cost. (For orders over $1,000 a package signature may be required.)
TOOLS and BOOKS have the shipping fee included in the cost of the product (within the contiguous US).
**We are required to collect state sales tax in certain states. Your state's eligibility and % will be calculated at checkout. MN State Sales Tax of 7.375% is applied for orders picked up at our MN location. Shipping & handling charges are also subject to the sales tax.
Shipping Season
SEED, TOOLS and BOOKS are sent year-round. Most orders ship within 1-3 business days.
BARE ROOT PLANTS are shipped during optimal transplanting time: Spring (April-May) and Fall (Oct). Some ephemeral species are also available for summer shipping. Since our plants are field-grown, Nature sets the schedule each year as to when our season will begin and end. We fill all orders, on a first-come, first-serve basis, to the best of our ability depending on weather conditions beyond our control.
POTTED PLANTS (Trays of 32/38/50 plugs and 3-packs) typically begin shipping early May and go into June; shipping time is heavily dependent on all the species in your order being well-rooted. If winter-spring greenhouse growing conditions are favorable and all species are well-rooted at once, then we ship by order date (first come, first serve). We are a Midwest greenhouse, and due to the challenges of getting all the species in the Mix & Match and Pre-Designed Garden Kits transit-ready at the same time, we typically can't ship before early May. Earlier shipment requests will be considered on a case-by-case basis.
*We are unable to ship PLANTS (bare root or potted) outside the contiguous US or to CALIFORNIA due to regulations.
Delivery
We ship using USPS, UPS and Spee Dee. UPS and Spee Dee are often used for expediting plant orders; they will not deliver to Post Office Box numbers, so please also include your street address if ordering plants. We send tracking numbers to your email address so please include it when you order.
FOR MORE DETAILED SHIPPING INFORMATION, INCLUDING CANADA SHIPPING RATES (SEED ONLY), PLEASE SEE 'SHIPPING' AT THE FOOTER OF THIS WEBSITE.
