Rewilding My Lot

Gulf Muhly (Muhlenbergia capillaris) is a native plant, although as the name implies, it prefers the moister climate of the gulf coast where I first encountered it in Houston. (On average, the annual rainfall in Houston is 20 inches more than in Seguin.)

Last year I learned that Gulf Muhly will certainly grow here, but it may not flower if it doesn’t get enough water. So it’s on my list of plants that will get some supplemental water through the summer.

One of the Gulf Muhly plants that I have is in our front bed, installed by the house builder. I have another two in the back yard, in the area that I’ve assigned to mid-height native grasses. When I learned that a neighbor was going to replace her Gulf Muhly with something else and did I want it, I said yes.

To welcome the newcomer, I dug a hole and like all the other holes I’ve dug here, that yielded almost equal piles of soil and stones. I have learned from others more experienced than I to dig “ugly” holes so that roots are encouraged to grow out of the hole and into the surrounding ground.

The new plant is bigger than its two neighbors, even after being trimmed for transplant (I want it to focus more strength in the beginning to creating a strong root system instead of trying to maintain leaves and flowers). The freshly dug hole got a bucket of water, allowing that to drain, and then a dose of Mycorrhizae to stimulate root growth. Then in went the plant with soil from the original ground (not the stones!) and lots more water. Here’s a photo of the new group of three, with the new biggest sibling on the right.