Liriope muscari 'Hawk's Feather'

This bizarre little monkey grass is a true collectors item. Each small clump has dark green leaves, each heavily banded with bright yellow markings...like a miniature zebra miscanthus. Each leaf appears to have been rolled tightly, dipped in bleach and then unfurled. The markings on the leaves are most dramatic in late spring after the new growth has emerged, and fade slightly in the fall and winter months. In late summer, the clumps are topped with typical 1' tall stalks of lilac purple flowers....most unique!

Maintenance:

Liriope requires very little maintenance. Liriope foliage is usually handsome all year long. Its showy flowers are most welcome in the late summer/earliest fall garden. Though it is standard practice to cut the foliage back before spring this is not an absolute necessity. Certainly do so if the foliage has become shabby. It is highly advisable to do this by late winter before tender new shoots start developing so the new shoots are not damaged during this clean up work. It is also highly recommended that this removal of old foliage is done in late winter and not in fall or early winter for a cut back plant is not a thing of beauty and postponing cutback to late winter means that there will be shorter time before the cut back foliage is replaced by new. Cutting back old foliage is not required by the plant but benefits only the tidy minded gardener.

Growing Conditions:

Liriope is happiest in shade. It will tolerate sun but its foliage will be yellow and shabby if exposed to too much hot sun. It requires only average soil, average moisture and drainage. Clumps do not require division, at least not for many years, but can be divided if one wanted additional plants.

Natural Impacts:

Liriope muscari is a handsome evergreen presence in the shade garden. Its late summer flowers a touch of color and freshness when there are few other plants blooming in the shade garden. Extensive research has proven that Liriope does not need to be planted in lines bordering sidewalks and similar structures, and can instead be planted individually or in freeform masses.