🌿 Muhly Grass (Muhlenbergia capillaris)

Muhly Grass is a native ornamental grass celebrated for its airy pink-purple plumes that seem to float like clouds above fine-textured green foliage. A true Florida favorite, this tough yet elegant perennial puts on a stunning fall display and thrives with little maintenance. Its drought tolerance, adaptability, and show-stopping beauty make it a go-to choice for naturalistic landscapes, pollinator gardens, and mass plantings.

🌸 Flowers & Foliage

• Foliage: Fine, needle-like green blades forming neat clumps

• Flowers: Showy pink to purple, cloud-like plumes in fall that last for weeks

• Winter Interest: Foliage turns tan and remains attractive through winter

🌱 Plant Details

• Type: Native ornamental grass

• Mature Size: 3–4 ft. tall × 3–4 ft. wide

• Growth Habit: Clumping, upright, fountain-like form

• Exposure: Full sun for best color; tolerates light shade

• Soil: Adaptable to sandy, loamy, or rocky soils; prefers well-drained sites

• Water Needs: Very low once established; drought tolerant

• Hardiness: USDA Zones 6–11

• Maintenance: Very low; cut back in late winter before new growth

🌟 Why We Love It

• Show-stopping fall display — plumes glow pink-purple in the autumn sun

• Tough native — thrives in poor soils, heat, and drought

• Pollinator friendly — plumes attract beneficial insects

• Versatile beauty — just as striking in mass plantings as it is as a single specimen

🌼 Landscape Uses

• Mass plantings for seasonal color impact

• Borders, medians, and naturalized landscapes

• Coastal gardens (salt tolerant)

• Pollinator and native plant gardens

• Accent plant in mixed beds

⚠️ Plant Notes

• Can flop if grown in too much shade or overly rich soil.

• Requires well-drained soil; avoid planting in chronically wet areas.

✅ Level To Leaf Tip: Plant Muhly Grass in clusters or drifts for the most dramatic fall display — when the sun hits those plumes, the whole landscape lights up.