Grit sandy glauca. Landscape design of the site. Rough-stemmed wheatgrass or rootless wheatgrass Elymus trachycaulus

• Elimus blue, also known as "Sandgrass", is a perennial plant from the grass family. The prefix "blue" in the name of the perennial is associated with the unusual, silvery-blue color of its luxurious curtains. Elimus can also have other names: couch grass, hair, vostrets.
• The northern part of Europe is considered to be the natural area of ​​\u200b\u200bculture; plantings of elimus can be found especially often in the arid regions of North America and Eurasia. A hardy perennial culture can grow in almost any climatic zone: in the subtropics, tundra, along rivers, lakes, and even in the desert.
• The erect, dense stem of the plant reaches a height of 30 cm to 1.5 m. The pointed narrow leaves are long and hard to the touch, arranged in dense bunches. From above, the ribbon-like leaf blade is smooth, covered with a wax coating, from below - slightly rough to the touch. The width of the leaves, on average, ranges from 2 to 10-15 mm, and often they are folded into a thin tube.

• Beautiful, bluish-blue color of leaves and stems becomes yellowish-brown by autumn. But even in winter, under the “cap” of snow, the lush “bumps-bushes” of the elimus look exotic and attractive.
• The elimus inflorescence is represented by a dense dense spike, consisting of many short spikelets located perpendicular to each other. At the same time, the axis of the spike-shaped inflorescence is practically naked, occasionally dotted with rare spikes. The plant blooms with small inconspicuous flowers, approximately in the middle of summer. In this case, the inflorescence can reach a height of 30 or more centimeters.
• The perennial is characterized by rapid growth with the simultaneous growth of a powerful root system. The plant lays growth buds on underground shoots.
• This cereal plant is considered unpretentious, drought and frost-resistant. Moreover, elimus grows well both in conditions of high humidity and in arid regions.

Elimus blue, plant application

• Elimus blue grows a lush, beautiful, sprawling bush and is a highly ornamental culture. A simple plant with feathery leaves at first glance seems absolutely simple and ordinary, but with skillful use, blue elimus is able to perfectly complement any flower arrangement.
• Perennial grass goes well with most types of plants. Often, elimus is planted against the background of brightly flowering summer plants, such as: lavender, bluebells, begonias, phloxes, delphiniums, etc.
• Especially often you can find plant "fountains" of elimus, decorating the coastal zone of reservoirs or ornamental ponds. Some flower growers plant a plant even in shallow water.
• In an original and elegant way, with the help of plantings of elimus, you can decorate the entrance area to the courtyard or terrace by planting hummocky perennial bushes along garden paths, symmetrically to each other.

• Plantings of blue elimus look spectacular both in a single planting, as an unusual bright accent, and in group plantings. With individual, solitary, plantings, it is important to use underground limiters that prevent the growth of a long-growing root system of a cereal crop.
• Particularly picturesque are the sprawling bunches of cereals on the front or secondary plans of the flower mixborder. Silver-blue elimus bushes look beautiful against the background of stones, when decorating alpine slides or landscape rockeries.

• Elimus blue is planted not only in open ground, but also in flower pots or other suitable containers.
• Dried ears of elimus look spectacular in dry bouquets, so they are often used to create winter floral arrangements or ekibans. Such spikelets are prepared in the summer, but before the seeds begin to ripen. To do this, the ears are cut, collected in small bunches (10-15 pieces each) and hung (inflorescences down) in a dry, but ventilated room for drying.
• In addition to its ornamental value, blue elimus is a popular fodder plant. And in Iceland, for example, ground elimus grains are used to make some types of bakery products.
• Thanks to a powerful and well-developed root system, grass is planted in places where it is required to fix soil or sandy soil (slopes, slopes). It is noteworthy that the roots of the plant grow rapidly both horizontally and deep into the ground.

Elimus blue, landing and care

How to plant blue elimus on the site, and what kind of care to provide the plant? Let us consider in detail all the stages of growing perennials in open ground.

An unpretentious plant "feels" great in almost any region, under any climatic conditions. The only thing is that in cold zones with harsh winters (for example, in central Russia), the shrub will turn yellow and wither for the winter, but in warm areas, the ground part of the elimus practically does not change throughout the year.

Elimus blue, landing site

• Elimus blue, undemanding plant, can grow in almost any soil. But the most favorable for the growth and development of perennials is light, drained and fertile soil. The ideal option for cultivating cereal perennials is loam or sandy loam. If the plant is planted in a separate pot, you can make the soil mixture yourself by mixing soddy soil, sand and peat, in a ratio of 1:2:2. In terms of acidity, blue elimus prefers a neutral to slightly alkaline soil.
• A sun-loving cereal crop needs an open sunny area, is not afraid of drought and prolonged heat. Moderate partial shade is also acceptable for the plant. But in a strong shade, the color of the shrub will be faded and not as attractive as in the sun.
• Given the fact that blue elimus is considered a plant with high vegetative mobility, it is important to initially choose the right place for planting cereals. Underground roots of elimus penetrate the soil at a distance of about 100 cm, which can adversely affect nearby plants. In addition, if the growth of the roots of the elimus is not limited during planting, the perennial will quickly “spread” over the entire area.
• Due to its high cold resistance, blue elimus begins its vegetative growth at fairly low temperatures.

Elimus blue, planting agricultural technology

• Before planting the plant, the planting site should be properly prepared: dig the site, apply (in the case of depleted soil composition) organic fertilizers, break up large clods and level the ground with a rake.
• It is important to initially plan the landing pattern correctly, since in open spaces the elimus forms loose extensive thickets, but with a cramped landing it grows in a dense bunch.
• The most important thing when planting a perennial is to install underground artificial growth limiters that prevent the uncontrolled "spread" of the plant over the site. To do this, the bushes are planted in open ground in deep (at least 30-40 cm) dishes with impenetrable dense walls. The diameter of such a container (tubs) can be chosen in the range from 15 to 30 cm. Under such conditions, blue elimus completely fills the volume of the container provided for it in 2-3 years, without oppressing plants growing nearby and without growing over the territory. After landing, the edges of the container should only slightly rise above the ground.
• Otherwise, the agricultural technique of planting blue elimus is no different from planting other plants. A shallow hole is dug, filled with water and a perennial grass bush is planted. After planting, the soil is compacted so that the so-called. "air pockets".

Elimus blue, care features

Caring for the plant is absolutely simple and will not cause any difficulties even for a novice grower. In early spring, last year's leaves are cut off, after which the elimus quickly begins to build up a new green mass.

• Elimus blue needs regular watering only at the stage after planting and during the beginning of vegetative development (when the leaves begin to grow). In summer, a drought-resistant plant does well without watering, being content with natural precipitation. Experienced flower growers have noticed that with an abundance of moisture, the bushes become even thicker and wider, but in conditions of insufficient humidity, the growth of elimus noticeably slows down, while the curtain looks compact and bumpy. However, during the period of snow melting, moisture stagnation is undesirable for a perennial, which can provoke the plant to rot. To avoid this, in case of heavy snowfall in winter, curtains are covered with a film.
• After watering, the soil around the elimus bushes needs loosening or mulching. As a mulch, peat, light humus or peat compost mixture is ideal.
• The cereal culture for a long period retains an attractive appearance, therefore, it absolutely does not need periodic transplants and rejuvenation.
• Additional fertilizing and fertilizing the blue elimus is also not required. Sometimes, if fertilizers were not applied at the time of planting, a handful of complex mineral fertilizer is poured under the bush, the granules of which gradually dissolve in the soil after watering or rain. It is also possible to introduce organic top dressing in small quantities.
• To prevent self-seeding and uncontrolled reproduction of the plant, it is necessary to cut off the unripe spikelets of elimus.
• An additional advantage and reason for growing unpretentious cereals can be the high resistance of the plant to diseases and pests.
• In addition, blue elimus is resistant to strong winds, drafts and environmental pollution.
• The perennial belongs to highly frost-resistant plants with frost resistance zone "5", therefore it tolerates cold temperatures down to -25 0 С and does not need special shelter for the winter period.

Elimus blue, plant propagation

Elimus blue reproduces by seed or vegetative means.

• When propagating elimus by seeds, there is no need to grow seedlings. Seeds germinate perfectly in open ground, gradually turning from thin rare sprouts into lush curtains. Sow seeds on a prepared piece of land in early spring or late autumn (before winter). Blue elimus seeds are quite small, so it is convenient to pre-mix them with sand when sowing. After sowing, the plot or holes are leveled with a rake. Elimus seedlings will need at least 2-3 years to develop a dense and lush curtain.
• The vegetative method of perennial propagation is very simple and not intricate. This method of growing cereals is the most popular among gardeners. To breed cereals, several young shoots with their own roots are simply separated from the bush (using a sharp shovel), which are planted separately. At the same time, delenki quickly take root in a new place and do not require special attention and special care. This method of reproduction allows the plant to bloom already in the year of planting.

Thus, blue elimus is an attractive ornamental plant that can transform and decorate any part of the garden or flower bed. The plant has a lot of advantages that experienced flower growers and landscape designers have long appreciated. Perennial is considered an absolutely unpretentious, hardy crop that tolerates drought, an abundance of moisture and severe frosts.

At the same time, blue elimus is considered a fast-growing and well-growing plant that does not require special care and attention.

Elimus blue, photo

Video: "Growing blue elimus"