Ophiopogon planiscapus 'Niger' (30) Flat
a/k/a: Black mondo grass, black lilyturf, snakebeard;
f/k/a O. nigrescens 'Black Dragon'.
Zones 5 to 9; may need a protected location in Zone 5 and 6A.
Full sun to partial shade, part shade is probably the best to maintain dark coloring.
This clumping perennial in the lily family spreads by underground stolons to form a dense evergreen grass-like groundcover.
One of the few 'black-leafed' plants in existence; with narrow purplish-black, leaves. White (sometimes flushed pink) flower spikes rise above the foliage. Best grown in rich, sandy or loamy composition soil, with an acidic or neutral pH. While it will tolerate some drought, preferred conditions are well-drained soil, with consistent moisture that does not completely dry-out.
Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit 1993
Missouri Botanical Garden Plants of Merit
Excellent, easy care, low maintenance plant choice for slopes, mass planting, border edging, in a rock garden, containers or at the base of trees. Planted eighteen (18) inches apart, should fill-in after three years, may be planted ten (10) inches apart for quicker coverage. Deer resistant and drought tolerant. Similar in appearance and habit to liriope, but not as invasive as Liriope spicata. Mow foliage at the highest possible cutting height in late winter before new growth. |
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