Holding their attraction for months, ethereal masses of airy flower panicles are imbued in vivid pinkish red tones, which age to a light buff. This plush mist hovers atop a fine textured, semievergreen clump of polished dark green foliage. With an unmatched vivacity, particularly when planted in drifts, the Pink Muhly will easily bridge the gap from a cultivated garden space into the native habitat.

Blooms September–early December

Size: 3' 0" high x 3' 0" wide.

Hardy to zone 6.

Slender, smooth glossy green blades, which appear nearly identical to the species, cushion a spectacular long-lasting delicacy of finely branched vibrant pink panicles. Countless minute seed heads lend a dreamy soft-looking aspect, drawing plant aficionados as well as birds and floral arrangers. Assuming a dogged, drought-tolerant evergreen habit, ‘Pink Cloud’ is ideal for planting in sweeps, singularly or in containers.

Blooms September–early December

Size: 3' 0" – 4' 0" high x 2' 0" – 3' 0" wide.

Hardy to zone 6.

In an illuminated departure from the native species, the delicately branched nearly transparent panicles spawn a white wispy mass along the upper reaches of sleek, dark green blades. With cloud-like inflorescences that brighten the garden well after the first frosts, this orderly clumping Muhly is both splendid and stalwart and can be effectively utilized as a specimen.

Blooms September–early December

Size: 3' 0" high x 3' 0" wide.

Hardy to zone 6.

This small-scale architectural gem celebrates a finely cut impeccably shaped green mound. Half the size of its taller relative, Muhlenbergia rigens, Pine Muhly's dense mostly evergreen clump of upright narrow cylindrical blades bolsters slim purple-tinged plumes, which blanch to almond shades on rigid, 2 to 3 ft. tall skinny stems. Roaming the higher altitudes of the Chihuahuan desert in west Texas, New Mexico and northern Mexico, Muhlenbergia dubia is undaunted by heat and drought, enjoys sharply drained sites and brings untold elegance to a patio vessel, mass planting or a tight spot.

Blooms August – October

Size: 2' 0" – 3' 0" high x 2' 0" – 3' 0" wide.

Hardy to zone 7.

Noted for its extraordinary fine texture and striking resemblance to bamboo, this warm season grass conveys a lighthearted grace. Delicately branched, upright and arching supple stems and thin light green leaves define the billowy mass that forms a noninvasive clump, preferring occasional water while enduring deer, heat and drought.

Stirring in just about any breeze, the evergreen Bamboo Muhly hails from Arizona and southern Mexico, produces insignificant pale pink flowers and is destined to become an airy counterpoint to Yucca ‘Garland’s Gold’s bold blades or where winter’s are cold, an ethereal container subject.

Blooms May

Size: 3' 0" – 6' 0" high x 3' 0" – 4' 0" wide.

Hardy to zone 7.

Lanky, open Calamagrostis-like panicles are colored in muted purplish gray tones, aging to an antique silver that festoons the winter landscape. The rounded refined-looking clump of semievergreen blue-gray foliage sends forth slender, perfect-for-cutting inflorescences on upright 2 ft. tall stems. Whether headlined as a sophisticated stand-alone or massed, this sensational Muhlenbergia delivers tranquil hues and a tidy durable visage.

Blooms September–December

Size: 5' 0" high x 2' 0" wide.

Hardy to zone 7.

Though the species is indigenous to the limestone outcroppings of northern Texas and southwestern Oklahoma, this amazing seed strain was collected near Fort Worth, TX by Lauren Springer and Scott Ogden, and subsequently introduced by Colorado’s Plant Select program. A small growing, warm season grass, Ruby Muhly’s fine-hewn green blades form a long-lived dense tussock beneath spectacular gauze-like reddish mauve inflorescences that appear earlier and are less pink than Muhlenbergia capillaris. Undaunted pretty much sums it up—the tailored compact habit performing heroically in cold, drought, heavy clay, sweltering heat and southern humidity. Warm tawny-brown winter interest coupled with an easy-care en masse presence make it indispensable.

Blooms August–October

Size: 2' 0" – 3' 0" high x 18" – 2' 0" wide.

Hardy to zone 5.

A long-time resident of California and other southwestern states, this semievergreen Muhlenbergia yields upright, thin and arrowlike silvery inflorescences reaching beyond the narrow, 18 in. high gray-green foliage. Creating a shimmery veiling effect in the landscape and adding pizzazz to dried arrangements, the reflective flowering stalks bend gracefully as they age.

Let Deer Grass weave its way around the contrasting horizontal form of Arctostaphylos ‘Vancouver Jade’, or superimpose it against Lobelia tupa.

Blooms September–December

Size: 5' 0" high x 4' 0" wide.

Hardy to zone 7.