Botanical Name: Muhlenbergia rigens
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Common Name: Deer Grass  
Plant photo of: Muhlenbergia rigens
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Water Saving Tip:

Replace turf with groundcovers, trees, and shrubs. If you have areas where no one uses the grass, patches that do not grow well, or a turf area too small to water without runoff, consider replacing the turf with water-efficient landscaping.

  • Anatomy

  • Culture

  • Design

Plant Type

Perennial, Grass

 

Height Range

3-6'

 

Flower Color

n/a

 

Flower Season

Summer

 

Leaf Color

Green, Grey Green

 

Bark Color

n/a

 

Fruit Color

n/a

 

Fruit Season

n/a

Sun

Full, Half

 

Water

Low

 

Growth Rate

Fast

 

Soil Type

Sandy, Clay, Loam, Rocky, Unparticular

 

Soil Condition

Average, Rich, Poor, Well-drained, Dry

 

Soil pH

Neutral

 

Adverse Factors

n/a

Design Styles

Japanese, Meadow, Ranch, Spanish, Wetlands, Native Garden, Woodland

 

Accenting Features

Unusual Foliage

 

Seasonal Interest

Winter, Spring, Summer, Fall

 

Location Uses

Shrub Border, Foundation, Parking Strip, Patio, Parking Lot, Raised Planter, Swimming Pool, Walls / Fences, With Rocks

 

Special Uses

Erosion Control, Mass Planting, Naturalizing

 

Attracts Wildlife

Birds

Information by: Stephanie Duer
Photographer: Susan Frommer/MSN

  • Description

  • Notes

Deer grass is a cool season clumping grass with gray-green leaves and spikelets that emerge gray and age to buff. Grass grows 2 to 3 feet tall, with spikelets growing up to 5 feet. A fine choice as a specimen or for mass planting. Useful slope cover for erosion control. Grows in full sun to part shade; tolerates rocky, dry soils; and alkaline and saline conditions. Attractive to birds as both forage and habitat.
Cut back about the time that spring bulbs emerge, in late winter to early spring. Cut to within a few inches of its crown.