Monday, August 19, 2013

Gold Band Liriope, Featured Plant of The Day

Liriope muscari 'Gold Band'
 syn. Liriope graminifolia densiflora
    Lilyturf,  Border Grass,  Blue Lilyturf,  Liriope,  Bigblue Liriope


Type    Perennial
Hardy range    6A to 10A
Height    12" to 18" / 30cm to 45cm
Spread    12" to 36" / 30cm to 90cm
Growth rate    Slow
Form    Rounded
Exposure    Partial shade or partial sun to full sun
Persistence    Evergreen

Bloom Color    Lavender
Bloom Time    Summer

The flowers are showy and suitable for cut flowers.

Environment
This plant tolerates drought and some salt.
This plant will grow in moist soil.
Suitable soil is well-drained/loamy, sandy or clay.
The pH preference is an acidic to alkaline (less than 6.8 to more than 7.7) soil.

Leaf Color    Green, variegated and yellow
Fall Color
    No change in fall color
This plant has attractive foliage.

Culture Notes
This plant usually is slow spreading.  The plant should be sheared back in the early spring to enjoy a flush of new growth.  Easily propagated by division in the early spring.

Unlike Liriope spicata, this plant usually is slow spreading.  The plant should be sheared back, usually with a sharp lawn mower blade, in the early spring to enjoy a flush of new growth.  Please do this before new growth emerges or you will live with the cut foliage for the rest of the year. Easily propagated by division in the early spring.

Attractive, violet-blue flowers give this plant its charm. Lilyturf is a 6- to 12-inch-tall herbaceous perennial that is useful in the landscape as a ground cover and accent plant.  This plant spreads slowly by rhizomes and forms thick tubers that look like small potatoes.  The 8- to 20-inch-long, grass-like leaves arise from a central crown.  The small, purple flowers of Lilyturf occur in terminal racemes that sit atop an 8-to 10-inch tall, violet-brown scape.  These flowers appear in the summer and are followed by blue-black berrylike fruits.  Flowers are mostly inconspicuous due to the brightly colored foliage. This plant is considered mostly allergy free and causes little or no allergy problems in most people.

Lilyturf is a great plant for bordering a sidewalk or as an edging for a landscape bed.  It will grow well underneath trees or around shrubs.  However, it will not tolerate foot traffic. Liriope will grow in a sunny location, but prefers one that has partial shade or full shade.  It prefers well-drained soils and is moderately tolerant of drought and salt spray.  This plant does have a negative reaction to high temperatures and can melt out in warm weather.