Monkey Grass

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Monkey grass is an excellent border plant providing pollinators food mid-summer. (charlotte ekker wiggins photo)

Monkey Grass

Liriope, also known as Lilyturf or Monkey Grass, is a popular ornamental plant often used in gardens for its attractive foliage and low maintenance requirements. I love Liriope to mark my paths and borders, and to help with soil erosion, a constant battle gardening on a hillside.

Here are some advantages and disadvantages of using Liriope in your garden:

Advantages:

  1. Low Maintenance: Liriope is relatively low-maintenance. It requires minimal care once established, making it a great choice for busy gardeners or those new to gardening.

  2. Ornamental Value: Liriope's grass-like leaves come in various shades of green and sometimes variegated patterns, adding visual interest to your garden. Some varieties also produce small spikes of lavender or white flowers, adding a touch of color.

  3. Versatility: Liriope is versatile in terms of its uses. It can be used as ground cover, edging, or in mass plantings. It's also suitable for both sunny and partially shaded areas.

  4. Erosion Control: Due to its spreading nature and dense root system, Liriope can help control soil erosion on slopes and banks.

  5. Drought Tolerance: Once established, Liriope is generally drought-tolerant and can survive periods of dry weather without much trouble.

  6. Deer Resistance: Many varieties of Liriope are relatively resistant to deer browsing, making it a good choice in areas with deer populations.

  7. Pollinator Food: Liriope blooms mid-summer where I live and provides food for bees and other pollinators when not much else does.

Disadvantages:

  1. Invasiveness: Liriope can sometimes become invasive in prime growing conditions. It spreads through underground rhizomes, and in some cases, it can outcompete other plants and become difficult to control.

  2. Slow Establishment: Liriope can take a while to establish and fill in, especially when planted from small divisions.

  3. Limited Flowering Period: While some Liriope varieties produce small spikes of flowers, the flowering period is relatively short, and the flowers may not be as showy as those of other plants.

  4. Overcrowding: If not properly managed, Liriope can sometimes become overcrowded, leading to a less attractive appearance and reduced growth.

  5. Spread into Unwanted Areas: The rhizomes of Liriope can spread beyond where you initially planted them. This can sometimes lead to the plant appearing in areas where you didn't intend it to grow.

  6. Winter Appearance: In colder climates, Liriope's foliage can become brown and wilted during the winter months.

    Some recommend cutting Liriope back in spring but I don’t find that necessary. It can look a little bedraggled coming out of winter but the new growth soon turns green and lush again.

Charlotte

My Favorite Border Plant

/ Bluebird Gardens/
Monkey Grass not only makes a nice border plant but it blooms in August when little is blooming.

Monkey Grass not only makes a nice border plant but it blooms in August when little is blooming.

My Favorite Border Plant

There is no doubt in my mind what plant is my favorite border plant. Ever hear of Monkey Grass? Liriope muscari is the Latin name for the most common variety of this plant family and the one I have the most in my garden.

What's not to love. It's easy to care for, heat and drought tolerant, crowds out weeds and tolerates a variety of soils including the worst my limestone hillside garden can offer. And it blooms in August to boot, a month when little is adding garden color.

I bought a start a good 20 years ago or so. Since then, I have been using the expanded clumps as a source of starts to line flower beds and add garden accents. It's easy to take them for granted because they are so easy to grown but I particularly like them in bloom.

Monkey Grass in bloom in my garden lining flower beds and adding accent interest.

Monkey Grass in bloom in my garden lining flower beds and adding accent interest.

These plants are also easy to divide. Once a clump is dug up, my spade can easily cut the clump into smaller starts. 

These border plants look so pretty along flower borders!

Monkey grass as my edging around bluebird gardens.

Monkey grass as my edging around bluebird gardens.

Aren't these tiny flowers sweet? Bees also like monkey grass flowers!

Aren't these tiny flowers sweet? Bees also like monkey grass flowers!

One of the additional benefits of monkey grass for me are the teeny tiny flowers. Bees like to visit them once the flowers start to bloom if nothing else is around to catch their attention.

Some people also give these plants a spring trim to cut off the greenery that turns brown in a USDA zone 5B winter. I don't, the old leaves melt into the ground as natural mulch and new leaves pop out and quickly take over the old dying greenery.

What is your favorite plant border?

Charlotte