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Plumetastic® Pink Muhly Grass

Plumetastic® Pink Muhly Grass

Muhlenbergia capillaris 'Irvine'

Item #8487 USDA Hardiness Zone: 7 - 10

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Plant Description

Stately, showy foliage with exceptional, upright, slightly arching form. Glittering clouds of vivid purple plumes emerge 3 to 5 weeks later than Regal Mist, lending far richer color from late summer to fall. Foliage stays green much longer than others of its type. Outstanding single specimen; spectacular massed in a meadow or native garden.

  • Overview
    Light Needs:
    Partial to full sun
    Watering Needs:
    Water regularly - weekly, or more often in extreme heat or containers.
    Average Landscape Size:
    Reaches 2 to 3 ft. tall, clumping slightly wider; blooms reach 4 ft. tall.
    Key Feature:
    Vibrant, Colorful Plumes
    Blooms:
    Late Summer through Fall
    Landscape Uses:
    Coastal Exposure, Container, Mass Planting, Poolside, Rock Garden, Urban Garden, Wildlife Garden
  • Detail
    Botanical Pronunciation:mew-len-BERG-gee-uh kap-ill-AIR-iss
    Plant type:Perennial, Ornamental Grass
    Deciduous/evergreen:Herbaceous
    Growth habit:Rounded
    Growth rate:Fast
    Average landscape size:Reaches 2 to 3 ft. tall, clumping slightly wider; blooms reach 4 ft. tall.
    Special features:Bird Friendly, Easy Care, Fast Growing, North American Native Selection, Waterwise
    Foliage color:Green
    Blooms:Late Summer through Fall
    Flower color:Purplish-pink
    Garden styleContemporary, Rustic
    Design IdeasWonderful planted in mass with a solid wall background to highlight the flowers. Also attractive planted in the open next to a pond or pool. The delicate, airy flowers wave and shimmer in the wind. This plant is versatile and can be mixed into ornamental or native landscape designs. Superb hillside plant, especially when situated so that the flower plumes are back-lit by the afternoon sunlight.
    Companion PlantsBlack-Eyed Susan (Rudbeckia); Indian Hawthorn (Rhaphiolepis); Catmint (Nepeta); Tickseed (Coreopsis); Scotch Broom (Cytisus)
  • Care
    Care Information
    Easy to grow and adaptable; thrives in average to lean, well-drained soils. Water deeply and regularly during the first growing season to establish an extensive root system; reduce frequency once established. For a neat appearance, hard prune old foliage annually, before new leaves emerge.Pruning time: late winter or early spring..
    Light Needs:
    <strong>Partial Sun / Partial Shade</strong>: These two terms are often used interchangeably to mean 3-6 (or 4-6) hours of sunlight each day. However, there is a difference. <strong>Partial shade</strong> typically means the plants will appreciate a more gentle exposure such as the weaker morning or early afternoon sun, with the emphasis on providing the minimum needed shade and sheltering from intense late afternoon sun. <strong>Partial sun</strong> typically means the plants <u>need</u> some direct sun, so the emphasis is on meeting the required minimum hours of sunlight, with filtered sunlight or shade the balance of the day. Both are best with shelter from the harshest late afternoon sun. This shade could be provided by a structure, a wall, larger plants or tree(s).
    Partial to full sun
    Watering Needs:
    Water needs: Moderate
    Water regularly - weekly, or more often in extreme heat or containers.
  • History & Lore
    History:
    Muhlenbergia capillaris is native to the Southern U.S and found in pine flatlands, coastal uplands and sandy prairies along the Gulf States. This selection was discovered in an open, mass-planting of cultivated Muhlenbergia capillaris within the landscape at Orange County Great Park in Irvine, CA. It was chosen for its slightly larger and more substantial presence, prolific and dense flowering, noted as having the same open and airy characteristics as the species but with a far richer color and more uniform bloom. As compared to the popular Regal Mist muhly grass, this selection blooms profusely, about 3-5 weeks later, and the foliage remains green well into fall.
    Lore:
    The genus Muhlenbergia is named for Gotthilf Heinrich Ernst Muhlenberg (1753-1815),a Lutheran minister and the first president of Franklin College in Pennsylvania. He is most famous due to his work in the field of botany where he named and classified over 150 species of plants. Most species are native to Mexico, the U.S. and Asia. Muhlenbergia capillaris is native to the Southern U.S and found in pine flatlands, coastal uplands and sandy prairies along the Gulf States.

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