Elymus virginicus grows readily from seed planted in the spring. (No cold stratification needed.) The first year, it gets to about 2 feet...Read More high; the second and subsequent years it grows up to 4 feet high. (Note: this is taller than many sources indicate.) It is a cool season grass and goes brown starting in June and then flops over and has a less than welcome habit of making still growing plants around it to collapse, as well.
This grass tends to be used in native plant seed mixes for somewhat shady conditions. It does grow fine in bright shade, but becomes rather unsightly as it dies back in late spring. In this way, it's more or less the equivalent of a spring ephemeral. I end up cutting it back in my garden once it dies. I am in the process of slowly removing this from my garden because of its appearance.
I'd recommend this grass if you need very quick establishment of some kind of growth in the spring and/or if you have a large meadow to plant. For a small area in a home garden, there are probably better choices.
Elymus virginicus grows readily from seed planted in the spring. (No cold stratification needed.) The first year, it gets to about 2 feet...Read More