Plumetastic® Pink Muhly Grass

Muhlenbergia capillaris 'Irvine'

Sku #8487

Stately, showy foliage with an 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. An outstanding single specimen; spectacular massed in a meadow or native garden.

Light Needs

Partial to full sun

Light Needs
Water Needs

Water regularly - weekly, or more often in extreme heat or containers.
USDA Zone ?

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7 - 10

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Detail

Key Feature

Vibrant, Colorful Plumes

Light Needs

Partial to full sun

Landscape Uses

Coastal Exposure, Container, Mass Planting, Poolside, Rock Garden, Urban Garden, Wildlife Garden

Watering Needs:Water regularly - weekly, or more often in extreme heat or containers.

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..

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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