Muhlenbergia Grass

Types

• Among the most widely used species in gardens is pink muhly grass (M. capillaris). Its rosy pink, airy flower plumes rise above the foliage in late summer or early fall. Once frost occurs, the seed heads turn light beige and persist into winter. Bamboo muhly (M. dumosa) develops woody stems that arch, looking like a miniature clump of wispy bamboo. Other species encountered, especially in the western United States, include Mexican deer grass (M. dubia), bull grass (M. emersleyi), Lindheimer's muhly (M. lindheimeri), bush muhly (M. porteri), soft blue Mexican muhly (M. pubescens), deer grass (M. rigens) and purple muhly (M. rigida).

Growing Muhly Grasses

• Muhly grasses grow as perennials. Plant height and precise flowering times vary by species. Winter hardiness also varies by species, with most surviving in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 6 through 9. The pink muhly grows well in zones 4 through 9. Plant muhly grasses in full sun to partial shade in any average to well-drained soil. Avoid shady, cool and soggy soil locations. These grasses also tolerate salt spray and hot, dry conditions.

Uses

• Gardeners use muhly grasses as fine-textured accents in mixed perennial borders. The thin, moplike foliage contrasts other full-sun perennials nicely, especially in summer and fall when coneflowers, black-eyed Susans or asters bloom. The resiliency of muhly grasses to sunny, dry soils makes them sound choices for meadows, roadside verges, road or parking lot medians, or on hillsides. In nutrient-poor sandy soils, planting the grasses closely together creates a ground cover to help stabilize ground. Steve Christman writes on the Floridata website that mulhy grasses work well as a substitute for pampas grasses. Muhly grasses are not invasive, and their softer leaves do not cut skin.

Annual Maintenance

• As with other ornamental grasses grown in gardens, you'll want to cut back muhly grasses each late winter before new-season growth begins. Using a hand pruner, sickle or hedge clipper shears, reduce the height of the plant to 4 to 6 inches tall. This improves the look of the grass clump as new leaf blades emerge across spring. If the spring or summer becomes overly dry, water the grass to keep it looking its best and to ensure that a good production of attractive flowers and seed heads form later.