Name: Pink Muhly Grass - Cotton Candy Grass - 3 Gallon Pot
SKU: D2LSC 6134949665
Availability: InStock

Pink Muhly Grass

Muhlenbergia capillaris

Other Names: Cotton Candy Grass, Purple Muhly Grass, Florida Muhly Grass, Texas Muhly Grass

Plant Details

USDA Plant Hardiness Zones: 6a-10b Find Your Zone

Plant Type: Ornamental Grass

Height at Maturity: 2-3′

Width at Maturity: 3′

Spacing: 2.5-3′ for hedges or mass plantings; 6’+ for space between plants

Growth Habit / Form: Arching, Clumping, Dense, Upright, Vase/Fountain Shape

Growth Rate: Moderate to Fast

Sun Needs: Full to Mostly Sun

Water Needs: Average, very low when established

Soil Type: Amended Clay, Loam, Sand, Silt, prefers sandy soils

Soil Drainage: Well Drained

Soil pH: 5.5 – 7.0

Flower Color: Pink

Flower Type: Plumes

Flowering Period: Late Summer, Early Fall, Mid-Fall, Late Fall, Early Winter (in warmer climates)

Foliage Color: Deep Green

Fragrant Foliage: No

Attracts: Visual Attention, Birds

Resistances: Deer – more info, Disease, Drought, Dry Soil, Heat, Humidity, Insect, Salt

Maintenance / Care: Very Low

How To Plant & Care For Muhly Grass

Description

An absolutely showstopping source of late-season color when other flowering plants are winding down for the season, Pink Muhly Grass, commonly called “cotton candy grass” or Purple Muhly Grass or Cotton Candy Grass by some folks, is a very tough and exceptionally easy-to-grow North American native grass immensely popular for the profuse and beautiful clouds of airy pinkish-purple flowers it produces over a long period from late summer through fall.

The outstanding attributes don’t stop with the flowers. Throughout the warm season, Muhly Grass forms attractive arching mounds of glossy, hair-like green leaves that provide a unique, wispy texture in the landscape which contrasts remarkably well with many other types of plants. Excellent as an accent and truly stunning in groupings or massed.

You might also be happy to know that Muhly Grass is very easy to grow and low maintenance. When established it is exceptionally drought tolerant, requiring little if any supplemental water. The foliage can be cut back to an inch or two above the ground in late winter before new growth begins to emerge.

Muhly Grass is our top selling ornamental grass for good reasons, and deserves a spot in every garden where it will grow!

Landscape & Garden Uses

Growing in a clump 2 to 3 feet tall and 3 feet wide, Pink Muhly Grass is ideal for use as an accent in smaller garden spaces or in small to large groupings in home foundation plantings and landscape borders. Truly stunning in bloom in mass plantings on embankments, hillsides and slopes, where its roots act as a soil stabilizer for erosion control. Makes a nice centerpiece in combination container gardens and is a fine addition to seaside gardens, rock gardens, ornamental grass gardens and the Xeriscape (low water need). A lovely display for any sunny spot!

Suggested Spacing: 2.5 to 3 feet apart for solid borders or mass plantings; 6 feet or more apart for space between plants

How To Measure Total Square Feet Of A Planting Area

How Many Plants Needed To Cover A Planting Area?

Note: For our customers who live and garden north of USDA Plant Hardiness Zone 6a, where Pink Muhly Grass is not reliably winter hardy, you’ll be happy to know it can be grown in containers that can be brought indoors during winter and placed back outside when temperatures warm up in spring.

Growing Preferences

Pink Muhly Grass is exceptionally easy to grow and maintain. It is exceptionally resistant to heat, humidity, sun, salt, and drought. Make sure to plant it in very well-drained soil. Add sand and or small gravel to the planting mix if necessary to ensure good drainage. It appreciates pampering the first year with adequate food and water to get its root system established. After this, it takes off on its own and is exceptionally drought-tolerant when established. Full sun is preferred for best flowering however the plant will tolerate and still flower with some light shade. we suggest at least 6 hours of direct sunlight for best flowering. If necessary, cut back foliage to ground in late winter before new growth begins to emerge in spring. It is also quite salt tolerant, making it an excellent choice for gardens near the sea.

Helpful Articles

Click on the link below to find helpful advice from our experts on how to plant, fertilize, prune and water Muhly Grass.

How To Plant & Care For Muhly Grass

Plant Long & Prosper!

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Questions? Contact Us!

The plants were in great shape and shipped well. Will buy from again.————————————————Thanks so much! Let us know if there’s ever anything we can help you with. 🙂 – Beth

Muhly grass plant arived in good shape. Planted right away and kept watered. It is doing well in sandy soil.—————————————————————–We are so glad you are pleased and we hope you enjoy it for years to come! Thanks for the great review! 🙂 Beth Steele | WBG

Arrived in good condition after a long journey. – perfectly packaged. Planted her in a “full sun” spot….unusual in Washington State, and is looking very perky. Look forward to her changing color for the Fall. My thanks to Wilson Bros. and staff for the superb job you do, and a big “thank you” for the information on “how to” questions I had….such patience!—————————————————Wow! We are so glad you are pleased with your purchase! Thanks for the kind words and great review! Beth | WBG 🙂

Hi Again. This is Merribeth Cox. I was so impressed with the tree, let alone your care and communication with me, I ordered more stuff!! As you can see from my orders…12 @1gal and 2@3 gal of the Muhly Pink Grass. Can’t wait!————————————————We are so glad you are pleased and we hope you enjoy them for years to come! Thanks for the great review! 🙂 Beth Steele | WBG

Wilson Bros takes such great care to ship their products. I will definitely order again and again. This beauty is healthy and doing great! Thank you!———————————————We are so glad you are pleased and we hope you enjoy it for years to come! Thanks for the kind words and great review! 🙂 Beth Steele | WBG

The plant arrived in excellent condition, and is a good size with a healthy looking root system. I placed this ornamental grass about 3 weeks ago and so far it seems to be thriving. I carefully read the planting instructions, and now I have the winter months to let this beauty take root.
I’m looking forward to seeing how this fills out and can’t wait for the explosion of pink that will adorn this area of my front garden. No photos yet, but I will come back in due course and share a few.—————————————————–We are so glad you are pleased and we hope you enjoy it for years to come! Keep us posted. Thanks for the kind words and great review! 🙂 Beth Steele | WBG

My plant arrived packaged very well. I planted it and its just beautiful. Cant wait for it to get bigger and more beautiful.———————————–We are so glad you are pleased and we hope you enjoy it for years to come! Thanks for the great review! 🙂 Beth Steele | WBG

I received my order in good time and the plant arrived perfectly packaged and in excellent condition. Unfortunately a few days after planting it started turning brown. I emailed Wison Bros for advice & got an immediate response & a request for pictures of the plant. I truly appreciated the quick response & advice regarding care of the plant. It’s been a few weeks now since planting & although it hasn’t completely “greened up” it seems that it has not gotten any more brown. I’m hoping it will recover and I look forward to the display of pink plumes that attracted me to the pink muhly grass. I also ordered & received a crape myrtle plant at the same time which is doing great. Although I was disappointed when my plant started turning brown, I was very pleased with the customer service provided. I would highly recommend this company for anyone interested in high quality plants & excellent customer service. Looking forward to the pink display!———————————We are so glad you are pleased and we hope
the grass recovers, keep us posted. We hope you enjoy them for years to come! Thanks for the great review! 🙂 Beth Steele | WBG

No pink yet but this plant arrived very healthy and I planted it right away. With so much rain lately it’s quite a happy plant. I don’t expect to see pink till later??—————————————We are so glad you are pleased and we hope you enjoy it for years to come! Thanks for the great review! 🙂 Beth Steele | WBG

THIS GRASS ARRIVED IN PERFECT CONDITION. PACKAGING WAS GREAT. I WOULD BUY FROM WILSON BROS AGAIN. I LOVED EVERYTHING I ORDERED.———————————-We are so glad you are pleased with your purchase! Thanks for the kind words and great review! Beth | WBG 🙂

My email was intended to let you know how great it gets at the end with Wilson. Once you grow the plant and let it go, it gets into the hands of shipping people. A few years ago I might see one package laying on the floor of the apartment building here in NYC once a week. Today, I journeyed home and climbed over at least 80 boxes in the lobby all thrown in large piles. It is crippling.
So, last year I switched my shipping address to the nearby UPS store and pay $1 per box. They are curbside in a large city and hold the goods, calling me when arrived.
You know how it goes, you get a dream, you see something and you start searching on the internet and then there is a line up and you think maybe the supplier which is closer is better.
Now let me share with you what happened before Wilson. I placed an order for trees before you with a company called FAST GROWING TREES on 10/24/20 for
1. Purple Wisteria $49.95
2. Bloomerang Lilac Shrub $24.95
3. Fugi Apple Tree five feet $89.95
4. Edible Bamboo plant $39.95
ships in 1 to 2 days, they said. Total $222.99 (no return address).
The shipment came in on 10/28/20 in a caved-in long box. Fast Growing Trees placed the Wisteria at one end and the Fugi tree at the other, both with the smaller Lilac and Bamboo in the center. All were smashed into each other with dirt all over the box. The bamboo was in a 2 inch pot, a dead leaf; the Bloomerang Lilac also in a 2 in pot was two leaves on a stick. The Wisteria was a small twig tied to a pole and the Fugi had been two feet tall and broken. Basically, I got a box of dirt.
Same nonsense with the shipment of Clematis from Hirts, tiny little dried up garbage.
Then came Wilson. I was really hesitant but you welcome access with email which was immediate and helpful. So I ventured forth again after bad experiences. Wilson has the marketing and the shipping down pat but then comes the incredible plant, which is what it is all about. What I like is the trees arrive as if I went to GA and picked them myself. That’s integrity.———————————Hope you enjoy it for years to come. Let us know if there’s ever anything else we can help you with. 🙂 – Beth | WBG

Just planted , they were packed very well.———————————We are so glad you are pleased with your purchase! Beth | WBG 🙂

My order arrived quickly. The grass looks very healthy and I planted it the same day. I can hardly wait till the end of summer when it turns color!——————————-We are so pleased you are happy with your purchase! Beth | WBG

These Muhly Pink Grasses are breath taking.
Getting ready to bloom a week after planting!
I ordered three….packing and delivery excellent.
I so appreciate Wilson Brothers and their on-line service!——————————————–Hi Sheila, Thanks so much for taking the time to provide your review of the Pink Muhly Grass. We are so glad you are pleased and we hope you enjoy it for years to come! Thanks for the kind words! 🙂
Beth Steele | Wilson Bros Gardens

I went out for a few hours, came back and boom my muhly grass was sitting safe on my porch and is absolutely beautiful. Better than I’d hoped. Thank you so much!—————————WBG Reply: Hi Betsy, Thanks so much for taking the time to provide your review of the Pink Muhly Grass. We are so glad you are pleased and we hope you enjoy it for years to come!
Beth Steele | Wilson Bros Gardens