There’s no
groundcover known to humankind that’s as successful as liriope at preventing
erosion on even the steepest hillsides, at surviving wet or bone dry conditions,
and doing all that in full sun or deep shade. You can yank it roughly out of
the ground and cram it back into the ground and it won’t complain.
Best of all for budget gardeners who need to cover ground, it’ll spread and
fill out quite quickly. Just divide the clumps you bought and they’ll
soon be ready to be divided again and before you know it – no bare ground will
be showing, and weeds don’t stand a chance in the thick mass of sheer liriope.
THE LIRIOPE THAT SPREADS – ONLY FOR CERTAIN SPOTS!
That said, the spreading type of liriope that I’ve just described will, given
some direct sunlight, continue to spread and smother everything in its path
that’s not substantially larger than it – like a tree. Yes, Liriope
spicata spreads SO aggressively by runners, it’ll go below cement and
come back up on the other side. In the photo on the
right is an example of where spreading liriope should never be planted
- in a mixed border with other small plants – and it’ll be quite a chore to
remove it without hurting the plants around it. Small gardening error
there.
However, there ARE places for spreading liriope and an example is shown in
the top photo – all by itself
in a contained area, like the right-of-way between
the street and the sidewalk. Another might be a steep, shady embankment where
there’s room to remove each year’s unwanted spread without damaging any nearby
plants. Or anywhere in full shade.
THE WELL-BEHAVED LIRIOPE
Liriope muscari is the "clumping" kind that does not spread
by runners and basically stays where you put it. It blooms purple, not white
like spicata, but it shares all the good qualities of the spreading kind -
incredible toughness and adaptability – without the invasive behavior. And
there’s an especially attractive green-and-white variegated variety of this
plant, which brightens up any shadey spot.
But budget gardeners, the bad news about clumping liriope is that you’ll have
to buy many more of them to accomplish the same coverage you’d get
quickly and cheaply with the spreaders. And clumpers usually aren’t available
free from your neighbors, as spreaders are. So it’s easy to understand why so
many homeowners use clumpers where they shouldn’t, even after being warned.
THE DILEMMA POSED BY SPREADING GROUNDCOVERS
This one plant epitomizes the dilemma of anyone in need of groundcover for a
large area: if a plant fills
in quickly, it usually will also spread where
you don’t want it to go. And certainly the word "invasive" is a flag
for anyone. So here are some good follow-up questions to ask:
- In what situation does it spread so aggressively? In the case of spreading
liriope, it’s only a problem when it gets direct sunlight. I’ve seen it growing
in the shade for years, not spreading at all.
- And how hard is it to remove the unwanted growth? If it’s a matter of a few
shallow-rooted seedlings, removing them might be a easy enough. But plants like
Liriope spicata that spread by long, tough runners are actually much harder to
remove than turfgrass, which everyone agrees is hard work. So you’re warned.
DETAILS
- Can take sun or shade,
soggy or dry conditions. - L. spicata blooms white in
summer; L. muscari blooms purple. - Hardy to Zones 6-9.
CARE
- Sheer back in late winter
(although in full shade and there’s usually no need because the foliage looks
fine even after the winter). - Easily divided using a
cheap steak knife. - It’s not just extremely drought-tolerant but also moisture-tolerant – an
amazing feat by a plant.
Photos from top. A good place for spreading liriope is in the right-of-way. Next, a crowded perennial bed is NOT the right place. But bottom, in the shade beneath a deck it’s well behaved and one of very few things that will grow there.
{ 4 comments }
Very interesting post. I didn’t realize that there were two kinds. From your info, I now know that I have the Liriope muscari. I have seen it look pretty bad in a severe drought but usually it gets through our tough summers without much care. I know people who mow it. I prefer the bushy natural look.
I have lots of shade in my yard so I need to think about ways I can use liriope more creatively. Isn’t it often the case that a person doesn’t want to grow what is easy to grow?
My only problem with Liriope is the ignorance of some landscape crews – who think it is just a “thick grass” and mow it regularly – and by passers-by who comment “Why are they not mowing the grass?” I hear that all the time around public spaces and office parks where liriope is used as easy filler plantings. Maybe every school should have a science unit – THIS is turfgrass, THIS is Liriope – one to mow, one to grow.
I had been meaning to check out this post, and I’m glad I did. I planted a half-dozen L muscari on a slope next to the driveway in a bed with Phlox stolonifera. Thank goodness I didn’t pick L spicata!
Who’da thunk an obsession with blue flowers would pay off?
I grow the clumping kind and I usually cut it only once a year, around March 1 or so…some winters it looks good all year, but in colder winters in can get a bit ratty looking by late winter….this is the only plant in my garden that I cut/trim using household scissors…it just seems to be easier to cut that way.
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