Fluffy plumes from pink muhly grass planted next to red sedum flowers in a late summer garden.
Pinky Muhlygrass has clouds of pink flowers that resemble cotton candy
Muhlenbergia capillaris is a durable native grass
Pinky Muhlygrass thrives in poor soils and urban conditions
Muhlenbergia capillaris or pinky muhly grass has unique texture and pink flowers
Pink muhly grass with fluffy airy plumes swaying in the wind next to red sedum flowers.
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Fluffy plumes from pink muhly grass planted next to red sedum flowers in a late summer garden.
Pinky Muhlygrass has clouds of pink flowers that resemble cotton candy
Muhlenbergia capillaris is a durable native grass
Pinky Muhlygrass thrives in poor soils and urban conditions
Muhlenbergia capillaris or pinky muhly grass has unique texture and pink flowers
Pink muhly grass with fluffy airy plumes swaying in the wind next to red sedum flowers.
All media depicts mature plants.

Pink Muhly Grass (Muhlenbergia)

Perennial

  • Clouds of pink flowers resemble cotton candy!
  • Tan plumes add interest to dull winters.
  • It's native, adaptable, and durable.
  • A dreamy addition to dried arrangements.
  • Zones 6-9, sun/part sun, 3' tall x 3' wide at maturity.
  • ZONE
  • EXPOSURE
  • HEIGHT

More info on plant sizes

Size: One Quart
$23.00
Sale: $23.00 Each
Total: $23.00
Shipping calculated at checkout.
Hand-Picked at Our Greenhouse
Shipped to Your Door
Arrives as a Young Plant
60 Day Risk-Free Guarantee
Hand-Picked at Our Greenhouse
Shipped to Your Door
Arrives as a Young Plant
60 Day Risk-Free Guarantee
Hand-Picked at Our Greenhouse
Shipped to Your Door
Arrives as a Young Plant
60 Day Risk-Free Guarantee
Hand-Picked at Our Greenhouse
Shipped to Your Door
Arrives as a Young Plant
60 Day Risk-Free Guarantee
Hand-Picked at Our Greenhouse
Shipped to Your Door
Arrives as a Young Plant
60 Day Risk-Free Guarantee
Hand-Picked at Our Greenhouse
Shipped to Your Door
Arrives as a Young Plant
60 Day Risk-Free Guarantee

Description

Clouds of color overwhelm the compact, blue-green foliage of Pink Muhly grass (Muhlenbergia capillaris) as flowers emerge in summer! Masses of airy, pink-hued flowers float above the foliage, lasting over 12 weeks. Blooms transition to tan plumes that add soft texture throughout the winter. This grass may look delicate, but it's incredibly durable.  As a native grass, it's highly adaptable and resistant to deer, pests, and diseases. It even thrives in poor soils and urban conditions. Plant it in groups or masses to give your garden a dreamy feel!

Details

Botanical name: Muhlenbergia capillaris
Common name: Pink Muhly grass, pink muhlygrass, hairawn muhly, pink hair grass
Zone: 6 - 9
Sun exposure: Sun (> 6 hours sun) to part-sun (4-6 hours sun)
Height x width:2-3' tall X 2-3' wide
Flower color: Pink
Foliage color: Blue-green
Season of interest: All year, but especially summer to fall.
Bloom time: Fall
Features: Suitable for slopes, rare & unusual, privacy & screening, heat tolerant, dry soils, drought tolerant, deer resistant, native, container plants, best for beginners
Uses: Accent, border, container gardening, cottage gardening, foundation planting, massing, native garden, specimen

How to Grow

Soil: Easily grown in average, medium, well-draining soil.
Light: Sun (> 6 hours sun) to part-sun (4-6 hours sun). They tend to flop when grown in too much shade.
Water: Average. Prefers moist soils, but once established, it's drought tolerant.
Spacing: 3 - 6 ft.
Fertilizing: Too much fertilizer can lead to lodging or flopping over. The best time for applying fertilizer, if needed, is in the spring as growth is resuming.
Winterizing: Leave foliage standing throughout winter for visual interest. Substantial clumps tend to flop (or collapse when subjected to heavy winter snows) and often benefit from some support.
Maintenance & pruning: Cut foliage to a 6 to 12-inch-tall mound of stubble in late winter before new shoots appear. Older clumps tend to die in the center leading to an unattractive shape and appearance. Dividing every third year is a safe rule of thumb.

12 Low-Maintenance Ornamental Grasses For Sun or Shade

Ornamental grasses are a staple in most low-maintenance gardens because they are hardy, durable, and add beautiful color, texture, and movement to the landscape. During the winter, ornamental grasses continue to add interest, inviting birds with exposed seed heads while the dried flowers and foliage rustle in the winter winds. Here, we’ll list our favorite low-maintenance ornamental grasses for sun or shade.

Learn more

Plant spacing is based on the ultimate width of the plants. This figure is normally given as a range; for example, 3-5’. If you live in a cold climate and/or want plants to fill in more quickly, plan to space at the shorter end of the range. If you live in a warm climate, are on a limited budget, or are willing to wait longer for plants to touch, use the higher end of the range. Using the larger number is recommended when calculating distance from a building or structure. There’s really no such thing as "maximum spacing": if you don’t want your plants to touch, you can space them as far apart as you’d like. All plant spacing is calculated on center, or in other words, the centers of the plants are spaced one half of their eventual width apart:

bush distance

Unless you are planting in a straight line, as you might for hedges or edging, space your plants in a staggered or zig-zag pattern for a more interesting and naturalistic look:

bush distance zigzag

Not sure just how many plants will fit in your garden? Our calculator gives you the exact amount of plants required for your space. Simply update the values and the calculator will re-calculate accordingly. Spacing information can be found in the 'How to Grow' tab on each plant's page.

Plant Spacing Calculator

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  • 5 stars: 8 (47%)
  • 4 stars: 1 (6%)
  • 3 stars: 3 (18%)
  • 2 stars: 1 (6%)
  • 1 star: 4 (24%)
A
Anonymous (Washington)
My Pink Muhly Grass looks great, it's healthy

My Pink Muhly Grass looks great, it's healthy and full but it didn't get any pink plumes. This is the first year, I have it in a large container. It gets at least 7 hours of full sun every day. What's up with this?

Our team of horticulture experts would love to take a closer look! Our fall guarantee covers plants received after September 1 until May 2026, so we have you covered. Please send your order number and pictures of your plants to [email protected] to start the claims process if necessary. We look forward to helping! https://bit.ly/ggp-guarantee

L
L.C.

Extremely small plug style plants. Theyre in a quart size pot, but theyre are certainly not full sized plants. Each plant had maybe 10 little strands on them. Absolutely Not Ever buying feom this company ever again. TERRIBLE

J
J.w.

Cant wait to see this grow

M
M.S.

Too tiny

N
N.C. (Florida)
What arrived were tiny plants!

I would have sworn that I ordered 5 - 1 gallon pots and what I got were 5 - 1 quart pots with tiny plants in them! Definitely not what I expected.
Currently, the 1 gallon pots are priced at $19.99. With the discount I had, it seems like that's what I paid for. $100....🤔

We’re sorry you’re not satisfied with your plants! On each product page and our plant sizes page, we note that all of our plants are young. The size of our plants varies depending on the time of year and whether they were recently trimmed. The most important thing when purchasing plants, online or in garden centers, is a full and robust root system, which we prioritize. Trimming only encourages stronger root development! All orders are covered by our 60-day guarantee, so please reach out to [email protected] to start the claims process if necessary.

M
M.E. (North Carolina)
They look great

Pink Muhly Grass (Muhlenbergia) arrived in excellent shape. They have thrived in what is a really harsh environment (coastal sandy salty location), and I couldn't be happier with them.

C
C.D. (Connecticut)
Can’t wait for it to bloom!

Small little muhly grass is settling into new garden bed nicely. Came well packed and in great shape. Cannot wait for the pink plumes. Couldn’t be happier!

S
S.M.

Quick delivery - can’t wait to plant out the seedlings in the spring g.

c
c.l. (North Carolina)
Great Plants

My Pink Muhly grass arrived in great shape. Very green and healthy plants. I have them planted and can't wait until next year when they have those pretty pink, whimsical, blooms. Great company to order from.

p
p.b. (Georgia)

havent bloomed ,one plant doing ok second plant barely haning on

Hello! Thank you for leaving feedback. When transplanting young plants from a nursery pot to a garden, the plant allocates more energy to root development instead of shoot development (above ground). It's important for them to develop a robust root system so they can actually absorb the nutrients and water in the soil around them. Then after their root system is more developed they'll invest in their shoots and flower development. They generally spend their first year growing roots in their new home, the second year they have more energy to put into growth, and the third year, they are growing and flowering vigorously. This applies to plants in the garden center as well as plants you purchase online.

Please email pictures of the plant to [email protected], making sure to put your order number and name in the subject line so that we may provide the best assistance possible. Rest assured, we do have a 60-day guarantee on all of our plants. If you received your plants within that timeframe, we will be happy to apply your warranty once we receive the pictures. Happy Gardening!

https://www.greatgardenplants.com/pages/our-guarantee

E
E.F. (Wisconsin)
Hardly growing at all.

I watered it for three days and kept it in the shade until I planted it. It is still very small. Hopefully it will come back next year. The honeysuckle plants I got are doing great.

Hello! When transplanting young plants from a nursery pot to a garden, the plant allocates more energy to root development instead of shoot development (above ground). It's important for them to develop a robust root system so they can actually absorb the nutrients and water in the soil around them. Then after their root system is more developed they'll invest in their shoots and flower development. They generally spend their first year growing roots in their new home, the second year they have more energy to put into growth, and the third year, they are growing vigorously. This applies to plants in the garden center as well as plants you purchase online. We hope this helps. Happy Gardening!

J
J.K. (Arkansas)

They were too far gone to survive the shipping damage.

Hello! We apologize you received your plants not up to our standards. As we try our best to provide exceptional service, some factors like shipping and handling are outside of our control, and issues like this can sometimes happen. Please email pictures of the plant to [email protected], making sure to put your order number and name in the subject line so that we may provide the best assistance possible. Rest assured, we do have a 60-day guarantee on all of our plants. If you received your plants within that timeframe, we will be happy to apply your warranty once we receive the pictures. Happy Gardening!

https://www.greatgardenplants.com/pages/our-guarantee

D
D.K. (Texas)

Pink Muhly Grass

C
C.W. (Nebraska)
Moving Muhly grass

Planted the muhly grass in a part sun spot. It’s not doing well. My guess is not enough sun. I’ll be moving it to a sunnier spot and see if it improves.

N
N.S. (Florida)

My grasses died. I will try again in the spring. Sense I live in Florida, I was expecting them to do well.

K
K.S. (Washington)
Pink Muhlygrass

The plant, along with all the others I ordered, was very small, and nearly dead when it arrived. I planted it and it hadn’t grown much if at all. Time will tell if it cones back after winter next spring but I doubt it will. I am not impressed with Great Garden Plants and I don’t plan on ordering anything from there again. Sorry. Fir my money, it just wasn’t worth it. I have had nicer ad healthier plants from Lowe’s here in town.

C
C. (Kentucky)
Very satisfied

The grass is growing very nicely, expecting nice blooms.

C
C.B.

As a native plant, where in Texas is it predominantly found?

Great Garden Plants

Pink Muhly Grass's native range is the Western-central United States.

T
T.t.

Is it heat and freeze tolerant

Great Garden Plants

Hi there! Pink Muhly Grass is rated for USDA zones 6-9 so it is heat tolerant but won't do well in areas that reach an average annual low temperature of 0 degrees Fahrenheit or below.

J
J.

I need a grass that is clump forming, does not reseed or spread. Does the Pink Muhly grass meet those requirements? Do you have other grasses that do?

Great Garden Plants

Pink Muhly Grass (Muhlenbergia capillaris) is a wonderful choice! It is indeed a clump-forming grass and does not reseed or aggressively spread, so it meets the requirements you're looking for. This grass maintains a neat appearance and grows in a tidy mound, making it a great selection for your garden without the worry of it taking over.
If you're considering another option, 'Undaunted' Muhlygrass (Muhlenbergia reverchonii ‘Undaunted’) also has a clump-forming habit and does not reseed or spread aggressively. You can find that here:
https://www.greatgardenplants.com/products/undaunted-muhlygrass

P
P.A.W.

Are winter grasses recommended for container gardening?

Great Garden Plants

The Muhly Grass is suitable for container planting. Here is our blog on container planting and tips on overwintering pots.
https://blog.greatgardenplants.com/what-size-pots-should-i-use-for-container-plantings/

https://blog.greatgardenplants.com/5-easy-tips-for-protecting-your-potted-plants-this-winter/

N
N.

When is the best time to order and plant the pink muhly?

Great Garden Plants

Spring or Fall is the best time to plant this grass. The rule of thumb for fall planting is to get the plants in the ground 6 weeks before the first HARD frost in your area.

The rule of thumb when planting in the spring is to make sure the threat of frost is gone in your area. If you are not sure when that date is, you can check with your local nursery. It is always good to put a layer of mulch after planting, it keeps the ground warmer if you get a late frost, while also keeping the weeds at bay.