Let’s talk about Pink Muhly Grass, or Muhlenbergia Capillaris.
One of North Carolina’s beautiful native plant varieties, often seen heavily planted on slopes or along highways with its beautiful, pink show of color in the fall. Muhlenbergia Capillaris ‘White Cloud’ is a white flowering variety that also has a great impact in the landscape.
Muhly Grass is a great addition to the landscape, but come spring green-up, you will start to see grasses that are not returning back from dormancy following a heavy cutback in the winter. Why is that?
I’ve seen it many times over the past several years, where grasses are being cut back with the first sign of browning, often as early as October-November. Keep in mind that our average daily temperature (in Raleigh) around Christmas is 55 degrees. This is a time period when plants are converting their energy into their roots to survive the winter, but pruning this early redirects that attention to sending off new growth, ultimately creating a weaker plant through the most stressful time of year.
While this applies to all grasses, Muhly Grass seems to be taking this mismanagement much worse than others given the die off that we have been seeing. Even with proper timing of cutbacks in January and February (when the plant is dormant), we have seen some die-off, but at a lesser rate.
What does Bland Landscaping do that’s different?
Instead of doing the same thing over and over again expecting the same results, we consult with professionals who specialize in growing and managing ornamental grasses and we listen.
If you ride through our sites today, you’ll see that most ornamental grasses are cutback and tidy, while the Muhly Grass is still standing. By leaving the structure of the plant in place, we are allowing all of the plants energy to be focused on surviving the winter. When green-up comes in the Spring and the plants show sign of life, we will then shape up the dead growth and allow for the plant to flourish through the growing season.
When considering your next landscape provider, whether at home or a property you manage, remember: anybody can cut grass. Look for those who are doing things the right way based on continuing education and experience. Contact Bland Landscaping today.
—Will Taylor, Landscaping Professional & Commercial Business Developer
