Rewilding My Lot

There are a total of three Gulf Muhly (Muhlenbergia capillaris) plants here. One is in the front bed, planted by the builder (a rare good plant choice by the original landscaper), and the other two are in the back in the area that is designated for mid-height prairie grasses.

Once the summer drought was over, I started to see Gulf Muhlys flowering around town. Mine weren’t blooming, but then I learned that they prefer to be well hydrated and the ones I was seeing were more likely to have been watered by sprinklers. Mine weren’t being watered by me so they had to wait for rain. There is also the matter that the ones here have been recently planted, and I would not be surprised for them to wait a year before coming to full strength.

Nevertheless, once we had more moisture and lower temperatures, then two of my three Gulf Muhly plants each grew a few seed heads. I hope that next year they’ll be strong enough to put out bigger displays, but this is a good start. Also, now I know that they like to have some water I can give them extra love in times of drought.