Leymus arenarius Blue Dune

Leymus arenarius 'Blue Dune' is a beautiful variety of Lyme Grass with steel blue foliage, even more decorative than this superb grass of the wild dunes. This plant is an intrepid conqueror, whose stump, equipped with trailing rhizomes, is capable of quickly colonising space. Forming large luminous tufts, it is adorned in summer with pretty flower spikes ranging from grey-blue to straw yellow at maturity. It is superb in flower beds or as groundcover. It is also spectacular when planted in a border or in large pots on the patio.

Leymus arenarius, also known as Sand Lyme Grass, is a perennial herbaceous plant of the large family of grasses. It is mainly found in Asia, North America, and central Europe, in boreal climates, on sandy and salty soils, which are often arid. 

Reaching 1.30 m (4ft) when flowering, this 'Blue Dune' variety quickly forms large tufts of foliage, measuring 60-70 cm (24-28in) in all directions. Its stump is vigorous, stoloniferous, and creeping. Its stems are stiff, erect, arched and robust. Its leaves, 8 to 15 cm (3 to 6in) wide and 60 cm (24in) long, are flat, ribbon-like, about one centimetre wide, smooth, rolled at the tip, and glaucous in colour. They are covered with a white to silvery bloom which gives them their steel blue colour. The inflorescences appear from June to August, at the ends of the floral stems, and remain on the plant until December. They are long spikes, fifteen to thirty centimetres in length, robust and compact, reminiscent of those of wheat. They display a beautiful blue-silver hue before turning blond at maturity. The foliage yellows and dries in winter.

Leymus Arenarius Blue Dune is an ideal plant for coastal areas, especially for stabilising dunes. Stony and dry soils and slightly arid slopes are also a favoured habitat for this grass that tolerates everything. It is also a very ornamental plant in flower beds or borders, as well as for decorating the patio in large flower pots. Due to its tendency to colonise the soil, it is preferable to plant it in a large buried container or use rhizome barriers if you want to use it in large flower beds. It can also be pruned short to achieve a lawn-like groundcover. In flower beds, combine Lyme Grass with low-maintenance asters, double-flowered Hemerocallis fulva Flore Pleno, rudbeckias, or tall sedums.

This species is frequently attacked by the Ustilago Hypodytes fungus. No spikes form, instead a large black fungus appears.