|
Muhlenbergia lindheimeri (Lindheimer's Muhly) - Native to Mexico and Texas, this stunning clump-forming grass is winter dormant in cold climates, but usually semi-deciduous in mild climates. From the fall into winter emerge the 5- to 6-foot-tall upright flower inflorescences, rising well above the 4 foot tall clumps of blue-gray foliage. The flowers are at first purple then mature to a gray color.
Best planted in full sun with occasional irrigation but will tolerate drought and light shade and it also tolerant of many different types of soil and has been reported to . Reportedly grow well where it receives ocean spray and saline soils. It is attractive if left unmanaged but can also be cut back to 1 foot tall or raked hard in spring to remove old leaves and flowers. This is one of our favorite grasses and can be seen planted throughout our gardens. Though a little smaller in scale, it is a great replacement for the invasive species of pampas grass (Cortaderia). Expect a few seedlings to emerge in irrigated locations in the garden but certainly not what we consider weedy.
Muhlenbergia lindheimeri is native to the Edwards Plateau region of central Texas. The German naturalist Johann Christian Daniel von Schreber (1739-1810) named the genus for Gotthilf Heinrich (Henry) Ernst Muhlenberg (1753-1815) who was American born but returned to his ancestral Germany for schooling and later returned to America. He was an ordained Lutheran minister but devoted his free time to the study of the botany. The specific epithet was named to honor Ferdinand Jakob Lindheimer (1801-1879), a German-born explorer who spent his working life on the American frontier and settled in the New Braunfels area (near San Antonio) in the mid-1850s. Other common names for this grass include Big Muhly Grass and Blue Muhly Grass.
We have grown this nice grass since 1993 and have several very nice specimen plants in our nursery garden. We first received this plant from the Grassman and Meadowmaster John Greenlee in 1992.
This information about Muhlenbergia lindheimeri displayed is based on research conducted in our horticultural library and from reliable online resources. We also will relate observations made about it as it grows in our nursery gardens and other gardens we have visited, as well how the crops have performed in containers in our nursery field. We will also incorporate comments that we receive from others and we welcome hearing from anyone with additional information, particularly if they can share any cultural information that would aid others in growing it.
|
