Great Design Plant: Eastern Bottlebrush Grass (Elymus hystrix) for Shade

Eastern bottlebrush grass (Elymus hystrix) is a rare shade-tolerant native grass. Upright form, blue-gray blades, airy silver seed heads resembling a bottle brush. Combine with shade-tolerant native perennials for textural contrast in traditional shade borders or naturalized woodland edges.

Botanical name: Elymus hystrix (formerly Hystrix patula)
Common name: Eastern bottlebrush grass
Origin: Eastern North America: eastern ND south to OK, ME to SC; Canada: MB east to NS; absent in PEI
Zones: 2b–7b (hardy to –45°F)
Plant communities: Dry to mesic woodlands and woodland edges
Soil: Dry to medium, sandy-loam to loam
Light: Partial shade to shade
Size: 32–42 in tall, 12–18 in wide

Benefits: Tolerates shade and dry soil; deer (and dogs) browse young foliage
Seasonal interest: Silver seed heads late June/early July; blue-gray arching blades
When to plant: Spring or fall; potted plants at native nurseries

Distinguishing Traits

Upright, narrow form; large bottlebrush-like seed heads; blue-gray foliage. Highly shade-tolerant. Seed heads persist into late fall for soft textural interest.

How to Use It

Mass in shade gardens with dry to medium, well-drained soil. Plant under trees with upward branching. Combine with native shade perennials: Jacob's Ladder (Polemonium reptans), early meadow-rue (Thalictrum dioicum), baneberry (Actaea spp.), bigleaf aster (Eurybia macrophylla).

Planting Notes

Forms clumps; transplants easily. Move in spring before flower stalks form, or in fall.

Pollinator Notes

Wind-pollinated, but a larval host for the northern pearly-eye (Enodia anthedon), a common woodland butterfly.

More: Energize Your Landscape With Masses of Grasses. Browse more grass guides. Browse plants native to other U.S. regions.