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| I have grown gold and green variegated liriope for a long time now, but have recently noticed that it does very well with tolerating dense shade. I had it planted as a border edging under a golden barberry this last yr or two. I recently noticed that it was wasted in that spot, so i dug it up today and moved it to another shady spot that is very visible and needed filling. What's so great about the liriope is that the leaves have kept their full bold (gold and green)strap leaf variegation and they seem to be tough as nails/ no insect or spotting problems have i ever seen on them. They also multuply (expand) well and are very easy to divide by pulling apart.And of course, in Sept/Oct they have those lovely violet flowering stems that complement Sedum autumn joy (and others) so well. While we also love and grow various variegated carex, they are much more picky about their location, particularly w/ regards to moisture needs.
Sooooo, if you are at least z.5/6 and have a difficult dry shady spot that could use brightening up w/ a no-fuss variegated plant/groundcover, I highly recommend variegated liriope. best,
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Follow-Up Postings:
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| I have the plain 'ol green liriope, and it's tough as nails in sun or shade. The variagated is hard to find around here. I like those deep purple flower spikes, too :0) |
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| I'll have to give them a try. My carex looks like crap. I'm non too pleased with them. Karen |
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| and I've been struggling to keep mine alive in sun for about 3 years now. I must be on the edge of where this is hardy. Kevin |
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- Posted by river_crossroads 8b Central Louisiana (My Page) on Sat, Jul 7, 12 at 17:10
| Mindy, liriope is a tough plant that does well in our wet, hot climate, where avg rainfall is 55 inches per year. My plain ol' green kind blooms from spring to fall and I think variegated blooms then as well in our area. One of the large nurseries about 30 miles south of me carries a lot of liriope and uses the slogan is "The Liriope Place." They have added a sideline and a website called "The Liriope Factory." No mailorder, sorry, mxk3. Doug Young Nursery (dyn) - scroll down to see field of variegated liriope |
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| Initially, I was very disappointed with this variegated liriope. . .until I discovered that it takes a couple seasons to settle in and really flourish - now, I can't get enough of it! And, Karen, you're right about the Carex (I assume you're referring to Kevin - I brought my friend in Vermont (z. 4) a clump of my variegated Carl |
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| Thanks Carl. When I first received my variegated one via a plant trade, I grew it in a pot and brought it in for winter. I kept it in a cold room (unheated, but above freezing) in a sunny window, quite dry for winter and then back outside in the spring. It grew like a weed and was wonderful. By the way, these do look gorgeous in a large pot. After a few years of doing that, I got tired of hauling it in and put it in the ground and downhill it went. Kevin |
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- Posted by mad_gallica Z5 Eastern NY (My Page) on Sat, Jul 7, 12 at 21:27
| Yup. I bought it. I planted it. I watched it die. It seemed like very fundamental hardiness issues, though it did take a couple of years. Just after the first winter, it never seemed to make it back to where it started out. |
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| Thanks very much Mindy. I love such a strong recommendation. |
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