Liriope Majestic
Notify MeTurf lily does a job few plants manage: an evergreen strappy clump that looks tidy in shade and then flowers. Liriope muscari 'Majestic' holds arching dark green leaves in a neat fan and sends up stiff spikes of small mauve-purple flowers, packed close like a grape hyacinth, standing clear of the foliage. Flowering runs through summer and into autumn.
Its main use is ground cover and edging. Mass-plant it at about 20 cm spacing to knit into a continuous evergreen band under trees or along a shaded fence line, or space it 25 to 40 cm apart as a border edge beside a path or driveway. It also suits a courtyard pot and a Japanese-influenced planting scheme.
Plant in full sun or partial shade in free-draining soil improved with compost. Liriope tolerates a good deal of neglect once established and holds its leaves through winter, which is why it is used so heavily in commercial planting. Unlike some strappy plants it builds a tidy clump instead of running, so it stays where you put it.
Makes a clump around 0.3 m tall and 0.3 m across.
Trimming: Shear the whole planting back to about 5 cm in late winter, before new growth starts, to remove tired winter foliage in one pass. On a single clump, pull damaged leaves out by hand instead.
Deadheading: Remove spent flower spikes once the small black berries that follow have dropped or dulled, or take them off earlier if you prefer the plant purely as foliage.
Fertilising: A general slow-release fertiliser in early spring is enough for the year. Mulch a mass planting at the same time to keep weeds out while the clumps close up.
Watering: Water through the first two summers to establish. Once away it handles dry spells, though it looks better in shade with occasional deep watering than in sun with none.
Pest Control: Slugs and snails chew the leaf tips, and the damage stays visible on an evergreen plant until the next shear. Mealybugs occasionally settle in the leaf bases.
Disease Management: Crown rot in wet, poorly drained ground is the main problem, and anthracnose can cause brown leaf tips and blotches in humid weather. Shearing in late winter and improving drainage deals with both.
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