Because birds and plants are so interconnected, you can attract specific birds by growing specific plants.
Loading...
Search
Muhlenbergia capillaris 'White Cloud' white muhly grass
white muhly grass
Characteristics
Descriptions
Light Requirements
sun
Soil Moisture
dry
Soil Description
average, poor, sand, gravel/rock
Height
3'-5'
Recommended Spacing
2'-4'
Bloom Time
September, October, November
Bloom Color
white
Hardiness Zone
6, 7, 8, 9, 10
Description
This showy grass is a cultivar of the more familiar hairawn or pink muhly grass. 'White Cloud' has the same billowy panicles as the species but with bright white rather than pink. It's also more upright than the species and tends to bloom about two weeks later. The vibrant white plumes last well into winter and keep their white color longer than the pink remains on the species. 'White Cloud' gets to 3'-4' wide and 3'-5' tall, with an overall habit that is typically taller than wide. The plumes cover the entire plant and top out just above the foliage tips, earning its white cloud moniker.
Cultivation
Like the species, the white version is easy to manage. It's clump-forming and doesn't reseed heavily. It does best in full sun with lean, well-drained, moist to dry soil. It handles dry periods well, but will grow larger in moist soils. Good drainage is key, as is planting far enough ahead of the first freeze for roots to establish. When in doubt about planting time, aim for spring to late summer. 'White Cloud' is a late-season bloomer, starting in mid fall and hanging onto its plumes well into winter. Wait to cut back until early spring, just before new growth emerges. Zones 6-11.
Recommended Spacing
Space plants 2'-4' on center.
As plants mature, and especially if thatch builds up in the crown, the closer spacing can become crowded. If plants lose vigor or bloom less, thin out the planting to give more space and improve air circulation.
Companion Plants
Muhlenbergia capillaris 'White Cloud' appreciates good drainage and full sun, so it pairs well with species that thrive in those conditions. Amsonia hubrichtii (Hubricht's bluestar) and Baptisia australis (blue wild indigo) are spring bloomers with a big visual presence that complements white muhly grass. You can also tuck in perennials nearby that will come up through the foliage, such as Ascelpias tuberosa (butterfly milkweed), Heliopsis helianthoides (smooth oxeye), and Penstemon digitalis (foxglove beardtongue). For late in the season, we adore the multitudinous flowers of asters like Symphyotrichum oblongifolium (aromatic aster), Symphyotrichum laeve (smooth blue aster), and Symphyotrichum oblongifolium (aromatic aster).
Additional Notes
'White Cloud' muhly grass always garners attention and can be spectacular in masses. It gives late-season interest with its large puffs of white, and the upright habit and persistent plumes provides structure in winter. It's particularly appealing paired with the purples of Symphyotrichum (Asters) and golds of Solidago (goldenrods). Deer tend to avoid it.
Pricing & Availability
BUY MORE,
SAVE MORE
$25 off orders of $500 or more
$50 off orders of $750 or more
$100 off orders of $1,000 or more
$300 off orders of $2,000 or more
15% off orders of $3,000 or more
Would you like your plants shipped later? You may choose to do so in the shopping cart.
Note: Early spring shipments might include plants that have not yet broken dormancy, or have not been vernalized and will be frost-tender. Please use your best judgment when selecting your preferred ship week.
Did you know? When plants are available from multiple growers, we list growers closest to your location first.
Why choose plants from the nearest grower? Choosing a the grower closest to you makes it more likely the plants are consistent with your ecoregion and better adapted to your location. In addition, shipping plants shorter distances typically uses fewer resources, something we can all get behind!
Plant Sizes
Sizes Sizes
Sizes info
Shipping & Planting
SHIPPING INFO:
Shipping is free on all plants orders!
Your plants will ship using each grower’s preferred method: FedEx Ground, UPS Ground, or Spee-Dee Ground (in select midwestern states). Our growers ship orders Monday through Wednesday. The farther your plants need to travel, the earlier in the week they will ship. The goal is to have all plants delivered by the end of the week.
Shipping plugs:
Plugs are shipped in full flats, sometimes also referred to as trays. Multiple flats can be shipped in a single box. The flats are wrapped in netting or craft paper to secure the plants, and spacers are used between flats to keep the plants from being crushed.
When you unpack your plugs, the plants will have been somewhat flattened by the netting or craft paper. They will straighten out within a couple of days. You may also gently “fluff” them a bit to speed up the process. In some cases, your plants might have been cut back before packing, if the grower deemed them to have become too tall for safe packaging. Don’t worry, though, these guys know what they’re doing and would not compromise the health of the plants. They’ll fill back in in no time.
After receiving your plants’ journey in a dark box, it will be important to acclimate them to sunlight again. Over a couple of days, you should gradually move them into their preferred light exposure, and water them as per their requirement.
Although we always recommend putting your plants in the ground as soon as possible, they can stay healthy in the flats for a considerable amount of time. The key is to respect their growing requirements: if the species requires full sun, do not store them in the shade. If it is best adapted to dry soil, do not over-water.
PLANTING INFO:
Planting plugs:
We consider plugs ready to ship when the plants’ roots have filled the entire liner cell and the plants can easily be pulled out. In some cases you will have to go about it gently, wiggling the plant by the crown, and possibly squeezing the bottom of the liner to compress the growing medium and release the roots. Other times, the plants will appear to be root bound. They are not in the traditional sense. The plants are healthy but they have used up all the growing medium available to them. Plugs are at an aggressive stage of growth. As soon as planted the roots will immediately expand into your native soil. They establish faster than plants in larger containers, because they don’t have the luxury of a lot of growing media that can inhibit the roots from venturing outside of their comfort zone.
We are not going to address area preparation because the process can be complex and is always site-specific. However, as a rule, we recommend disturbing the soil as little as possible, and we do not recommend amending the soil. If you chose the right plant for the right conditions they will thrive. Any disturbance and amendments will only encourage weeds to emerge that never had a chance to do so before.
Installing plugs cannot be easier: dig a hole large enough for the roots to fit snugly inside, then water them in to eliminate air gaps. We recommend using a soil knife, sometimes referred to as hori hori, or a drill-adapted auger if it’s a large installation. If you use an auger, you will need a powerful drill. Depending on the size of the project and the type of soil, the process can be beyond what an average drill will bear. Mulching is recommended after installation to help keep weeds down while the plants establish. Be sure to keep it away from the crown of the plants. For large projects, you may want to mulch the area before planting, rather than tiptoeing through it after the fact. As a side note: if you are installing plugs in the fall, you might want to plant them so that the crown is about ¾” lower than the surrounding soil. The winter’s freeze/thaw cycles can push plugs out if the roots did not have enough time to establish and anchor them in.