Blue Wild Rye

Year-round

Blue wildrye is a low water bunchgrass that does well in sun or part shade.

• Water use is low and summer watering tops out at about twice a month once it is established.
• It takes full sun or part shade and many soil types.
• It is a cool-season clumping grass that grows up to about 4 feet tall.

Fall

Fall is a good time to start new blue wildrye from seed.

• Seed needs no pretreatment and is easy to find.
• Cooler weather lets this cool-season grass green up again.
• Keep watering light and let fall rain take over.

Winter

Winter asks very little of blue wildrye in San Francisco.

• It tolerates cold down to about -15F, far colder than a typical bay winter.
• Skip extra watering when rain is regular.
• No winter protection is needed.

Spring

In San Francisco's cool spring, let the grass grow and keep extra water light.

• It is a cool-season grass, so it grows best while the weather stays mild.
• Yellow flowers can show up from spring on.
• Established plants rarely need more than occasional water.

Summer

In a cool summer by the bay, water once or twice a month at most.

• The page caps summer watering at about twice a month once established.
• Some browning or summer rest is normal because it is semi-deciduous in summer.
• Full sun or part shade both work.

Year-round

In Sacramento's hot, dry summers, give blue wildrye part shade if you can and very little water.

• Water use is low and summer watering tops out at about twice a month once established.
• Full sun works, and part shade is listed too, which helps in inland heat.
• It tolerates a wide variety of soils.

Fall

Fall is the time to sow seed or let the clump perk up in Sacramento.

• Seed does not need pretreatment.
• Cooler nights bring this cool-season grass back to life.
• Water only if autumn is unusually dry.

Winter

Sacramento winters are easy on blue wildrye.

• The plant tolerates cold to about -15F, well below valley frosts.
• Rain should cover its water needs.
• Leave it alone and enjoy the blue-green foliage.

Spring

Spring is the main growing window for blue wildrye in the Sacramento area.

• It is a cool-season grass, so it grows hardest before summer heat.
• Yellow flowers can appear from spring through fall.
• Established plants only need occasional water.

Summer

Valley heat is when blue wildrye goes semi-dormant, so keep water to about twice a month.

• Summer is when the grass is listed as semi-deciduous, so browning is expected.
• Do not push it with frequent watering.
• Part shade is a good spot for a bit of afternoon relief.

Year-round

Blue wild rye is a native bunchgrass that does well in the Portland area's wet winters and dry summers. It grows in sun or part shade, handles a wide range of soils, and needs almost no upkeep once it settles in.

• It grows well in full sun or part shade, and handles soil that goes soggy in winter and bone dry in summer, everywhere except the lowest, wettest spot in a yard.
• This is a native prairie grass in the Willamette Valley, used by local conservation districts to restore oak savanna and prairie habitat here.
• It grows as a tidy clump rather than a runner, and sends up seed heads three to five feet tall by early summer.
• Water it regularly through its first one to two summers, after that it can get through Portland's dry season with little or no help from you.
• It's in the wildrye group that woodland skipper butterflies use to lay eggs and feed their caterpillars.

Fall

Fall is prime planting season for blue wild rye in the Willamette Valley once the rain comes back, and it's also when you cut the old growth back for a tidy winter look.

• Fall, once the rain returns, is a good time to plant from seed or containers here, the seed needs no special treatment to sprout.
• Cut the whole clump back to about four to six inches, or all the way to the ground, in late fall once it's gone dormant for the year.
• Fall is also a good window to divide a crowded clump if you didn't get to it in spring.
• Rake up the cut foliage and let the fall rain water everything in, it doesn't need fertilizer.

Cutting the dried grass back in late fall keeps the front yard looking tidy and HOA-friendly through winter instead of leaving a flopped, straw colored clump.

Winter

Winters here are wet and mild, so this grass mostly takes care of itself. Just make sure the crown isn't sitting in a spot that stays flooded.

• No watering needed, Portland's rainy season supplies plenty of moisture on its own.
• Avoid planting it in the lowest, soggiest part of the yard that stays flooded all winter, it prefers well drained ground even though it tolerates moist soil most of the year.
• The foliage can turn tan or beige and look dormant through the coldest months, that's normal and it greens back up in spring.
• If you missed the fall cutback, late winter just before new growth starts is your last good window to cut the old growth back.

A tan, dormant looking clump through winter is expected for this grass, not a dead or neglected patch, and it still reads as a low key, HOA-friendly planting.

Spring

Spring is a good window in Portland to plant new blue wild rye or split up a crowded clump, and to clean up any leftover winter foliage.

• Spring, along with fall, is the best time to plant new starts or divide an overcrowded clump into smaller pieces.
• Space new plants about a foot to a foot and a half apart so they have room to fill in.
• Trim away any brown or frost damaged blades left over from winter once new blue green growth shows up.
• Portland's spring rain usually covers watering for new plantings, but give them a soak if you hit a dry stretch.

Summer

Portland summers are dry, and once blue wild rye's roots are established it rides out the dry spell on its own.

• After the first one to two summers, established plants need only occasional deep watering during dry stretches, often none at all.
• It's normal for the grass to fade to a straw color or go summer dormant when things dry out, that's the plant handling drought, not a sign of trouble.
• First year plantings still need regular water through their first summer to get roots down.
• Seed heads ripen in early to mid summer, and birds and small mammals feed on the seed.