I am a local small-time grower in Sopchoppy, FL. I have just recently started growing native grasses for local landscapers, and pink muhly is my most plentiful.

If you find yourself up this way, I currently have about 2000 1-gallon muhly grass if you are interested. I could part with them for about $2.75 each. FYI, if you go to a nursery it will probably be about $6.00 each.

Otherwise, here is how I started mine from seed. I go around in late fall-early winter and collect seeds from specimens used in local landscaping. As with most grasses, you must wait until the inflorescensce turns brown and fall off easily. Muhly Grass seed is naturally dispersed by wind. Thus you will know the seed is ready to collect when you can run your hand up the stem and pull off the inflorescense with little effort (in N. Florida, anytime after Thanksgiving). If it does not slide off easily it is not ready. You can collect several hundred-thousand seeds in about a 1/2 hour.

I have the best success getting it to germinate in the winter. I think it must need cold temps. It is virtually impossible to separate the chaf from the seed so don't waste your time. Give the chaf and seeds a little drying time, put it in a bag. Wad the bag up with your hands. The seeds and chaf with fall out to the bottom. Remember, the shorter the time between seed harvest and sowing, the better germination rate you will get.

Fill up a plug tray with a mixture of 1/2 vermiculite 1/2 peat moss (pre-mixed), no soil!.

Pick out a portion of seed/chaff about the size of a nickel and plant it in each cell covering it with about 1/4' of moss-vermic mix. Keep it wet, full sun, and wait about 2-4 weeks.

Each cell will yield 1 plant which will fill up a 1 gallon container in about 3 months. It won't flower until the second year though.

Let me know if you are interested (850)962-9861 in buying some and spread the word.

Here is a link that might be useful: Blackwater Ornamental Grasses

...I see the date on this post is 2008....today is Feb 28,2015.....I received "5" tiny pink muhly grass seeds, and need to know how to plant them in zone 6...we have snow now...can this be "winter sown".....or what do you suggest?....there are only 5 seeds....thank you.

Five seeds is not very likely to produce any seedlings unless you are lucky but go ahead and try, you have nothing to loose. If 5 seeds are from a seed trade, I'd call it a very stingy one especially considering how many seeds a plant produces. One year I direct sowed all the seeds from my purchased plant and got a few volunteers the next spring.

Muhly grass seed has a lower % germination rate than other kinds of grass. Out of a pack of 200 seeds, I usually get only a few plants on any variety and only a few volunteers in the garden from any Muhly type. If you can't find plants locally, Santa Rosa Gardens sells it online and they are great to order from, you could even wait until the spring sales since you are in zone 6 which is really pushing the zone.

A similar option would be Muhlenbergeria riverchonnii which is more cold tolerant and blooms almost two months earlier, High Country Gardens sells plants online. I've only had 2 volunteer seedlings from my 3 mature plants in three years but have had no luck sowing them in pots indoors or wintersown.

Gulf Muhly is my latest blooming grass here in zone 7, its not in full bloom until late October so if you have early frosts that could be a problem. A cold hardier variety is Muhlenbergia porteri (Bush Muhly) which is native to New Mexico & good to zone 6 and blooms late summer-fall. It is similar-- 3' x 3' with pink blooms but needs good drainage. You can purchase seeds from Plants of the Southwest @ $3.25/packet of 100.

There are several M. capillaries and the different types bloom at different times. It is a far ranging species (Massachusetts - Texas) and there are local differences. The nursery , Santa Rosa gardens has several species and reading the descriptions is interesting. . some more drought tolerant than others. Some blooming earlier than others.