Liriope 'Big Blue'

Liriope 'Big Blue': Lavender-Blue Spikes Where Grass Gives Up

'Big Blue' is the easygoing guest who'll sit at the sunny table or the shady one and still have a great time. Lavender-blue spikes, then glossy black berries. LOW MAINTENANCE, HIGH SOCIETY.

Plant Characteristics:

• Botanical Name: Liriope muscari 'Big Blue'
• Common Name: Lily Turf, Lilyturf
• Height: 30–45 cm (12–18 in)
• Spread: 30–45 cm (12–18 in)
• Flowers: Dense upright spikes of small lavender-blue flowers, followed by glossy black berries
• Bloom Time: Late summer to early fall (August to September)
• Foliage: Narrow, arching, dark green, grass-like leaves; semi-evergreen in our winters
• Features: Rabbit resistant, clump-forming

Where to Plant: Line a shady path with it, run it under trees where grass gives up, or mass it as a groundcover on a slope. It stays in tidy clumps that spread slowly, flowers best with some sun, and in colder pockets appreciates a sheltered spot with good snow cover.

Companion Plants: Use 'Big Blue' to edge a moist bed in shade or part sun, in front of hellebores, heuchera and a big hosta. Helleborus HGC® Ice N' Roses® Merlot opens deep wine-red flowers at 38 to 45 cm from March to May. Waldsteinia ternata carpets the front at 10 to 15 cm with yellow flowers in May and June. Heuchera 'Cherry Cola' adds cherry-red foliage at 15 to 23 cm. Hosta 'Jurassic Park' rises behind with huge blue-green leaves at 75 to 100 cm.

Plant Care: Plant in moist, well-drained soil. It handles both sand and clay but not waterlogged roots. Water regularly through the first season. After that, it copes with dry spells. Winter usually leaves the leaves tattered. In early spring, before new growth appears, cut the old foliage back to about 7–8 cm (3 in) and clear away the clippings. Avoid cutting into the crown. Divide clumps in spring every few years if you want more plants. It rarely needs it otherwise.

History: Liriope muscari is native to China, Korea, Japan and Taiwan, where it grows in shady, moist forests and on slopes. The genus is named for Liriope, a nymph in Greek mythology and the mother of Narcissus, and the species name muscari points to flowers that look like those of grape hyacinth.

Final Thoughts: Edge a path, fill a slope or plug the gap the deer and rabbits keep mocking. IT ASKS FOR NOTHING AND DELIVERS ANYWAY.