Muhlenbergia rigens

Mulhenbergia rigens is perennial, evergreen grass which is little known to European gardeners, despite its ornamental qualities and good adaptation to very dry soils in summer. This beautiful plant grows in a round and dense clump, with long and slender, gracefully trailing leaves that are slightly greyish green, sometimes tinged with purple. In late summer, numerous upright and very thin flower spikes appear at a height of 1.50m (5ft) and quickly turn straw yellow and silver. This grass is decorative even in winter, especially when covered in frost, and prefers a mild climate. It has a place in a large wild planting, a minimalist landscape, or a dry garden.

mulhenbergia rigens belongs to the poaceae family. It is native to the southwest of the United States and Mexico, where it thrives in dry and sandy prairies, always in well-drained soil. This very robust species is not very hardy but well adapted to drought. It can be found in a variety of habitats, ranging from tall prairies to riverbanks, through chaparrals (a type of scrub vegetation), mixed forests or woodlands.

This grass forms an extremely dense clump composed of thread-like and pointed leaves that can reach a 90cm (35in) long. These flexible and trailing leaves give the plant a rounded and bristly fountain-like appearance approximately 70-80cm (28-32in) in all directions. The foliage persists or dries in winter, depending on the climate. The colour of the leaves varies from light silver-green to purple. From late August or early September tall and slender floral stems emerge from the foliage, bearing very thin and upright flowers that remain decorative on the plant for a long time. They are green at first, quickly becoming golden and silvery, capturing the sunlight.

Undemanding Mulhenbergia thrives in well-drained, dry and rocky soils. Along with Stipa and possibly Panicum virgatum, North American Muhlenbergia species are among the grasses best adapted to hot and dry climates. We recommend combining it with compact shrubs (cistus, dwarf abelias, bushy salvias), autumn perennials such as tall sedums (Sedum matrona, Septemberglut), and tall asters (Aster turbinellus, Aster laevis) to create a beautiful wild scene. Place this grass in the background and position erigerons, and dwarf oreganos at its base and agapanthus and ornamental alliums beside it.