Pink muhly grass
Muhlenbergia capillaris · Poaceae Popular
In October a quiet mound of wiry, dark green leaves disappears under a billowing cloud of vivid pink that looks like cotton candy.
- Size
- 3 ft tall, 3 ft wide
- Zones
- 6 to 9
- Light
- Full sun
- Flowers
- Mid September to early November
- Pets
- No toxicity recorded
- Job in a bed
- Drift
A bed built around pink muhly grass
The planner designed this bed around pink muhly grass when this page was made: a 12 × 6 ft (3.7 × 1.8 m) naturalistic planting in zone 6, full sun. It chose the other plants from the 715 that suit those conditions and its dry soil, and says below why pink muhly grass stands where it does.
The plants
- 1 Pink muhly grass × 1, pink
- 2 Seaside daisy × 9, lavender
- 3 Sea thrift × 8, white
- 4 Prairie blazing star × 3, purple
- 5 Red valerian × 3, red
- 6 Little bluestem × 5, blue-green leaves
- 7 Turkestan tulip × 12, white
- 8 Star of Persia × 3, purple
Why this plant
- Part of the matrix. The low fabric of grasses and groundcovers that the taller plants come up through.
- The only airy sprays. The others are daisies, globes, spires and others. Shape reads at a distance, where colours blur.
- The only pink.
Why here
- Forward of its height. At 3 ft it is taller than red valerian (2½ ft) behind it, but airy enough to see through.
- One plant, alone. A feature plant is seen as an object, and needs clear ground around it.
Why now
- In flower for 7 weeks. From mid September to early November.
- Closes the season. In all that time nothing else on the plan is in flower.
- Stands through winter. Left uncut, it holds its shape until March, when the perennials have gone.
Planned as a naturalistic planting: low grasses and groundcovers, the matrix, make up 66% of the planted ground. The bed is balanced: the left half carries 51% of the visual weight and the right half 49%. The flowers run from late March to early November: 29 weeks in all.
The planner's own design check: 10 Excellent, 7 Good. It flags one thing to watch: Nothing on this plan is highly poisonous or an aggressive spreader.
Open this bed in the planner Change its size, the sun or the style, move plants about, or swap one for another.
Where pink muhly grass goes in a border
At 3 ft it belongs in the middle of a bed. In the planner's ten height classes it is medium tall (2½ to 3 ft). It is airy enough to see through, so it can also come forward and veil what is behind it.
Its job: drift. Planted in a small group of three or five, and repeated further along in the other number.
The most spectacular grass in flower. Mass it where the low autumn sun will shine through the pink. It needs heat and sharp drainage, and flowers poorly where summers are cool.
- A cloud of pink in autumn
- Massing on dry, sunny slopes
- Coastal and sandy gardens
What to plant with pink muhly grass
Plants recorded as good partners for it, and what each pairing does:
- Aromatic aster 'October Skies': in flower together for six weeks, from mid September; low enough (20 in) to stand in front of it; happy in the same dry soil.
- Sedum 'Autumn Joy': in flower together for four weeks, from mid September; bold leaves against its fine ones; happy in the same dry soil.
- Russian sage: flowers first, mid July to mid September, so the spot is never empty; spires rising out of its mound; happy in the same dry soil.
Choosing between it and a look-alike? Pink muhly grass vs Purple fountain grass.
Questions about pink muhly grass
Does pink muhly grass need sun or shade?
Pink muhly grass grows in full sun (6 or more hours of direct sun a day).
It wants dry, sharply drained soil, on the lean side, with no feeding, and little watering once settled. Once settled in, it stands drought.
What zones does pink muhly grass grow in?
USDA zones 6 to 9. It is hardy to zone 6, which means it survives winter nights down to about 0 °F (−18 °C).
Gardening in Canada? Use the USDA zone for your town: Canada's own zone map uses different numbers.
When does pink muhly grass flower in my zone?
In zone 5 it flowers mid September to early November. As an autumn flower it keeps much the same dates in every zone: it answers to shortening days and cool nights more than to the warmth of spring.
| Zone 6 | Mid September to early November |
|---|---|
| Zone 7 | Mid September to early November |
| Zone 8 | Mid September to early November |
| Zone 9 | Mid September to early November |
Worked out from Hopkins' bioclimatic law: spring arrives about four days later for each degree of latitude north, and one zone is roughly two degrees. A warm spring or a cold one moves any garden two weeks either way.
How far apart should pink muhly grass be planted?
2½ ft (75 cm) apart, from the middle of one plant to the middle of the next. That is a little closer than its full width of 3 ft (90 cm), so a group knits into one patch.
It grows 3 ft (90 cm) tall. Give it the full distance from anything taller, or it will lean out towards the light.
How many pink muhly grass plants do I need?
At 2½ ft apart, set out in staggered rows:
- 2 to fill 10 square feet (about 1 m²)
- 5 for a single row 10 ft (3 m) long
- 6 to fill a 4 × 8 ft bed on its own
In a mixed border, plant it as a group of three or five, with a second group further along in the other number.
In the bed above, the planner used one in one group.
Is pink muhly grass poisonous to dogs and cats?
No toxicity is recorded for dogs, cats, horses or people, according to NC State Extension.
"Not toxic" is not "edible": a pet that eats a lot of any plant can be sick.
Do deer eat pink muhly grass?
Mostly not. NC State lists it as resistant to deer. No plant is proof against a hungry deer in a hard winter, but this one is low on the menu.
What does pink muhly grass look like in winter?
Pink muhly grass turns the colour of straw and, left uncut, stands through the winter, with seed for the birds. Cut it down in late winter, before the new shoots come up.
Is pink muhly grass good for bees and butterflies?
Pink muhly grass is visited by butterflies and songbirds.
It is native to the United States.
More Muhlenbergia
- Deer grass Muhlenbergia rigens
- Muhly grass 'White Cloud' Muhlenbergia capillaris 'White Cloud'
In these guides
- Salt-tolerant plants for roadsides and coasts
- Plants that grow near black walnut
- Plants for slopes and banks
- Pet-safe plants for a sunny border
- Plants for butterflies
- Plants that feed garden birds
- Ornamental grasses under 3 feet
- Plants that flower in fall
Every fact on record
- Type
- Grass
- Size
- 3 ft (90 cm) tall, 3 ft (90 cm) wide
- Plant
- 2½ ft (75 cm) apart
- Height class
- Medium tall (2½ to 3 ft)
- Place in the bed
- Middle, or further forward: it is airy enough to see through
- Flowers
- Mid September to early November; airy sprays; pink
- Leaves
- Fine texture, herbaceous; green
- Shape
- Mounding, clumping
- Hardy in
- USDA zones 6 to 9
- Light
- Full sun
- Soil
- Lean, dry and sharply drained
- Water
- Low
- Feeding
- None needed
- Family
- Poaceae
- Comes from
- Central & Eastern U.S.A. to Guatemala and Caribbean
- Attracts
- Butterflies, songbirds
- Stands up to
- Deer, drought, heat, humidity, salt, poor soil, black walnut, pollution, erosion
Checked against NC State Extension. Flowering times are for zone 5: later in colder zones, earlier in warmer ones. Toxicity and spread information is a general gardening guide, not veterinary or medical advice, and invasive status varies by region. If a person or pet eats a plant, contact poison control or a vet. Check your local invasive species list before planting anything with a spread warning.