Canary Grass Seeds (Phalaris canariensis)

Phalaris canariensis

Canary grass, canary grass herb, phalaris: native to the Canary Islands and the Mediterranean Basin, this annual grass has been cultivated for centuries for its seeds, historically the staple food of caged birds. In the garden, its pale green, dense and compact ovoid spikes also have genuine ornamental value.

Characteristics:

• Compact spikes: pale green ovoid inflorescences turning straw-blond at maturity, with a highly graphic appearance.
• Nutrient-rich seeds: small, oval and rich, they are the standard food for birds.
• Fast growth: an easy annual grass, forming dense cover within a few weeks.

Sowing advice:

• Exposure: sunny.
• Soil: light, well-drained, ordinary soil. Undemanding, it tolerates poor soils but appreciates soil that remains moist while the seeds develop. No special fertilization required.
• Method: no stratification. Sow in spring, directly in the ground or in a pot, broadcast or in rows, covering lightly. Water regularly until emergence. See how to sow your seeds.

Care advice:

• Water regularly to maintain soil moisture during growth. No other care is needed.

Harvesting advice:

• Harvest the spikes when they have turned blond and the seeds come loose when rubbed. Cut the stems, dry them in bunches in a sheltered place, then remove the seeds by hand.
• For dried bouquets, pick the spikes while they are still green, before full maturity.

Beneficial combinations:

• It combines well with other ornamental grasses such as hare's-tail grass or quaking grass, in a meadow or dried bouquet.
• As a temporary cover crop, it occupies the soil and limits weeds — see green manures.

Benefits for biodiversity:

• Left standing, it directly feeds wild seed-eating birds in the garden — goldfinches, greenfinches and sparrows — without the need for a bird feeder.
• Its dense cover shelters soil-dwelling microfauna and beneficial insects.

Uses:

• Seed production for birds, temporary ground cover, ornamental meadow and dried bouquets.

Harvesting your own seeds:
Nothing could be simpler: the harvest itself provides them. Keep some of your seeds to sow again the following year — a self-sustaining cycle that saves you from buying birdseed mixes. See how to store your seeds.

Commitment to Quality: at SemiSauvage - Permaculture, we grow and select our seeds with respect for all living things as our guiding principle. Based near the Auvergne Volcanoes, we choose open-pollinated, non-hybrid varieties, tested for their germination rate, carefully sorted and packaged, with no chemical treatment. Our conviction: to give gardeners back the ability to resow, year after year, seeds that truly belong to them.

Produce your own bird food, season after season.