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Grass Like

Elymus repens

couch grass

A fast-growing perennial grass with pale, hairy sheaths on the lower leaves and flat green leaf blades to 40cm long. Produces upright flower spikes to 120cm high in late summer. Each plant forms a dense network of pale yellow or straw-coloured rhizomatous roots, that enable it to spread rapidly in lawns and borders

Other common names

felt
lagoon grass
see morequack grass
quitch grass
scutch
shelly grass
skally grass
squitch grass
twitch
twitch grass
witch grass

Synonyms

Elytrigia repens
Triticum repens
see moreAgropyron repens

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Ultimate height

1–1.5 metres

Time to ultimate height

1 year

Ultimate spread

0.5–1 metres

Chalk

Clay

Loam

Sand

Moisture

Moist but well–drained, Well–drained, Poorly–drained

pH

Acid, Alkaline, Neutral

	Stem	Flower	Foliage	Fruit
Spring
Summer
Autumn
Winter

Full sun

Aspect

East–facing or South–facing or West–facing or North–facing

Exposure

Exposed or Sheltered

Hardiness
Hardiness ratings
All ratings refer to the UK growing conditions unless otherwise stated. Minimum temperature ranges (in degrees C) are shown in brackets
H1a: under glass all year (>15C)
H1b: can be grown outside in the summer (10 - 15)
H1c: can be grown outside in the summer (5 - 10)
H2: tolerant of low temperatures, but not surviving being frozen (1 to 5)
H3: hardy in coastal and relatively mild parts of the UK (-5 to 1)
H4: hardy through most of the UK (-10 to -5)
H5: hardy in most places throughout the UK even in severe winters (-15 to -10)
H6: hardy in all of UK and northern Europe (-20 to -15)
H7: hardy in the severest European continental climates (< -20)

Botanical details

Family: Poaceae
Native to GB / Ireland: Yes
Foliage: Deciduous
Habit: Clump forming
Genus: Elymus can be tufted or rhizomatous perennial grasses, with linear, deciduous leaves, sometimes attractively coloured, and flattened flower spikes in summer and autumn
Name status: Correct
Plant range: Temp. N. Hemisphere

How to grow

Cultivation

Growth begins early in spring, which can allow this plant to out-compete others that may need warmer temperatures; because of this and its ability to spread rapidly underground, it is often considered a weed. Roots are fairly shallow, so forking out may be possible in lighter soils, though any remaining fragments of rhizome may re-grow

Propagation

Propagates predominantly by spreading rhizomes (underground roots), although seed is also produced and can remain viable in the soil for some years

Suggested planting locations and garden types

Pruning

Cutting can encourage tillering

Pests

Generally pest-free

Diseases

Generally disease-free

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