LIRIOPE. Lily turf. Japan and China. Evergreen perennials of the lily family, long popular for borders and ground cover. They have fountain-like shoots reaching a few inches to over 2’ in height. The leaves are narrow, thick-textured and usually rich, deep green in color. In middle to late summer small bell shaped, white to violet blossoms are displayed in dense spike-like clusters, usually above the foliage. They thrive in sun or part shade near the coast, part shade inland, in most soils, with moderate watering. Hardy to 10^oF. or less.

graminifolia. This has been a confusing species, both botanically and horticulturally. Most material sold under this name apparently belongs to other species. Plants received under this name are about 1’ tall, with narrow, bright green leaves and pale lavender flowers. The current material may be of the still smaller form identified as ‘Minor’.

muscari. The best known of the lily turfs. It forms lush carpets with 1-2’ leaves, exceeded by the decorative flower clusters. ‘Majestic’ has narrow leaves, 1-2’ tall, and lavender flowers. ‘Monroe White’ is a particularly dense selection, about 1’ tall, with pure white flowers. ‘Royal Purple’ has broad, dark leaves and violet flowers. The cultivar received as ‘Variegata’,one of several clones sold under this name, grows nearly erect to about 1’. The leaves have narrow yellow margins around deep green centers, while the flowers are purple. A lower variegated selection with broader, more spreading leaves is ‘John Burch’ (no, not the right-wing politico, spelled with an “I”). It is also slower to spread, making it less desirable for large-scale ground cover but more so in tight spaces.

spicata ‘Silver Dragon’. Perhaps the boldest of the group. It has 8-10” leaves with grey green background color and beautiful white banding. It forms a broad, dense carpet and seems resistant to leaf-spot diseases which sometimes afflict other variegated liriopes.