Lakeshore Garden Centres Plant Finder

Description:

A native grass that looks like a dainty bamboo with light, airy stems of bright green foliage; light lavender flowers in late fall eventually fade to tan seed pods in winter; breathtaking planted in masses; evergreen in warmer climates

Ornamental Features

Bamboo Muhly features airy plumes of lilac purple flowers with pink overtones rising above the foliage from late fall to early winter. The tan seed heads are carried on showy plumes displayed in abundance from early to late winter. Its grassy leaves remain light green in colour throughout the year.

Landscape Attributes

Bamboo Muhly is a dense herbaceous annual with an upright spreading habit of growth. It brings an extremely fine and delicate texture to the garden composition and should be used to full effect.

This is a relatively low maintenance plant, and is best cleaned up in early spring before it resumes active growth for the season. It has no significant negative characteristics.

Bamboo Muhly is recommended for the following landscape applications;

• Mass Planting
• Hedges/Screening
• Rock/Alpine Gardens
• General Garden Use
• Groundcover
• Container Planting

Planting & Growing

Bamboo Muhly will grow to be about 4 feet tall at maturity extending to 6 feet tall with the flowers, with a spread of 5 feet. Although it's not a true annual, this slow-growing plant can be expected to behave as an annual in our climate if left outdoors over the winter, usually needing replacement the following year. As such, gardeners should take into consideration that it will perform differently than it would in its native habitat.

This plant should only be grown in full sunlight. It prefers dry to average moisture levels with very well-drained soil, and will often die in standing water. It is considered to be drought-tolerant, and thus makes an ideal choice for a low-water garden or xeriscape application. This plant should not require much in the way of fertilizing once established, although it may appreciate a shot of general-purpose fertilizer from time to time early in the growing season. It is particular about its soil conditions, with a strong preference for poor, acidic soils. It is somewhat tolerant of urban pollution. This species is native to parts of North America. It can be propagated by division.

Bamboo Muhly is a fine choice for the garden, but it is also a good selection for planting in outdoor pots and containers. With its upright habit of growth, it is best suited for use as a 'thriller' in the 'spiller-thriller-filler' container combination; plant it near the center of the pot, surrounded by smaller plants and those that spill over the edges. It is even sizeable enough that it can be grown alone in a suitable container. Note that when growing plants in outdoor containers and baskets, they may require more frequent waterings than they would in the yard or garden.