Liriope muscari is a dependable, drought-resistant workhorse plant both in sun and shade, even dry shade. It's attractive 10-12-inch high grass-like foliage is evergreen, and it produces 18-inch high spikes of lovely purple flowers in August. It looks nice both in clumps and as an edging plant. It performs well under a shallow-rooted red maple tree in my zone 6b yard. It is not aggressive, but clumps gradually increase in size and are easily divided with a spading fork.

Monkey Grass (Liriope muscari)

Last fall I discovered a new-to-me cultivar, 'Royal Purple' that I love because of its intensely dark purple flowers and the increased height of the flowers:

Monkey Grass (Liriope muscari 'Royal Purple')

Interesting - our liriope muscari are much shorter and the flowers are fatter:




Courtesy Yoko Nekonomania

They come in a limited range of colours but like yours are really useful in sun or shade.

I had no idea that these were considered shade plants. I love 'grape hyacinth' and plan to create a 'sea' of them, planting them en masse, along a 20' swath of blank-slate space near my driveway. Well, to be fair, I have some pretty forsythia there that I'm hoping will survive the awful clay soil in that area...but that's also why I haven't spent any money buying grape hyacinths, either.

Nevertheless, I really love these plants and want some for my yard. If they are shade plants, I second their nomination!


(not my photo, of course)

Hm...Liriope muscari, which blooms in late summer, Is not the same as Muscari botryoides, a bulb that blooms in the early spring. Both are lovely.

I like Liriope muscari too! But I do not have to plant them, it has been planted all over our subd as a nice border plant. It is quite drought tolerant, and with its cute little blooms, looks so cheerful. For awhile before I thought it was related to Chlorophytum comosum, but when I saw the blooms, ah, they are different. But both has similar long blade-like leaves and the ones planted around here have variegated leaves.

DnD, CS is right, your muscari is not the Liriope muscari for this thread. But that is a nice bulb plant for Spring!

csandt said:Hm...Liriope muscari, which blooms in late summer, Is not the same as Muscari botryoides, a bulb that blooms in the early spring. Both are lovely.

Thank you for the clarification!

Yes, thanks.