Plant Image Data Base                                         

  Liriope spicata

                                                        Creeping Lilyturf

• Form
  • perennial herbaceous evergreen groundcover
  • maturing at 1' tall, and slowly but progressively spreading at its perimeter via underground rhizomes
  • arching mat growth habit, forming a very dense turf-like groundcover
  • slow growth rate
• Culture
  • partial sun to full shade
  • performs best in moist, fertile soils in partial shade, but will tolerate very dry, poor, and thin soils in sunny or shady sites
  • mow the old foliage to the ground in late Winter or very early Spring to allow vigorous new growth to emerge unimpeded from the crowns
  • Lily Family, with virtually no disease or pest problems
• Foliage
  • linear dark evergreen "blades" of foliage
  • leaves are 0.25" wide and 1-1.5' long, but due to their arching habit are about 1' high in Summer, and become increasingly prostrate with repeated snow loads during Winter
  • foliage resembles very vigorous turf grass, hence the common name
• Flowers
  • white, violet, or lavendar inflorescences, on 10" stalks during July and August, sparsely borne and often unnoticed within the attractive dark-green foliage

• Function
  • dense evergreen groundcover for either shady sites or erosion control sites, usually found as either a solid mass planting or as an edger
  • special usages for Creeping Lilyturf include around mature trees (with surface roots and thin soil near the trunk), in a backyard woodland (as an evergreen edger to define a walking path, including Winter under conditions of light snowfall), and in a small neglected foundation area (where it will choke out weeds and tolerate dry soil)
• Assets
  • fine-textured evergreen foliage that resembles turf grass
  • fallen leaves can be easily raked free from its linear foliage in Autumn, unlike most groundcovers where leaf litter becomes entangled
  • readily transitions from partial sun to full shade within the same planted area, with little change in color, vigor, density, height, and overall appearance
  • tolerant of dry soils, thin soils, and compacted clay soils
  • good for erosion control on embankments, although establishment is initially slow
• Purpose
  • Creeping Lilyturf is an evergreen groundcover that is ideal for shady sites and resembles turf grass.
• Summary
  • Liriope spicata is a perennial mat-forming groundcover that is best used in shady areas, erosion-prone sites, or areas with thin soils, that has sparse inflorescences in mid-Summer nestled within the evergreen, turf-like foliage.

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