General information about Ophiopogon (Mondo Grass):
A reliable, hardy
with thin blade-like foliage in a dark shade of green, Ophiopogon, often referred to as Lily Turf or Mondo Grass is an excellent ground cover for
areas where other plants refuse to grow.
Gardeners love Mondo Grass for reliable texture, color and structure in rock gardens, between
between pavers or stepping stones,
plantings and as
borders and edging
for beds and walkways, around shaded pools and even garden statues because it requires no mowing and offers elegance, structure and definition to any area.
Where runoff is a problem, its dense mat of roots is exceptional at holding the ground up,
The depth of color contrasts beautifully with the lighter green of a lawn or the grey hues of garden ornaments and works wonderfully as an evergreen in planters where seasonal annuals provide pops of vibrant color.
If you love to play with shape and design, you will absolutely adore this lush, ornamental grass that creates a dense evergreen ground cover.
The deep emerald green leaf blades (1/8 inch wide) form in clumps that need no mowing and will tolerate
making them a perfect
that thrives in
In the summer there are insignificant
and in fall, bright blue berries will beckon
One of the all-time favorite effortless grasses, Ophiopogon caresses gardens with color and richness.
Things to Note
Our Mondo grasses produce fruit that will drive
crazy with delight.
If you are a birder, this plant is a must have for attracting a variety of species.
Consider planting clumps of Mondo in year round planters adding forced tulips in early spring,
in summer and autumn, and sprigs of evergreen bows and berries in winter for continual curb appeal.
Why all the confusion about the common names?
In 1763, the French botanist Michael Adanson described a plant (probably Liriope) that he called Mondo, which remains a common name today.
A few years later, Carl Peter Thunberg described a plant, which he named Convallaria japonica.
This species is now known as Ophiopogon japonicus.
A decade later, Portugese botanist Joao de Loureiro described and named the plant we now know as Liriope muscari.
Nearly 100 years later Joseph Decaisne described the same species as Ophiopogon muscari.
Over time there have been numerous discussions regarding these plants and the proper botanical names for them.
Today, both Liriope and Ophiopogon are treated as distinct genera.
In addition to sharing the name Mondo, the plants are also interchangably called Lilyturf and Monkey Grass.
So far I am very pleased with the bare root Mondo Grass plants. They were well packed and arrived quickly. The plants look very healthy and were very easy to plant. The true test is to see how well they do over this summer and the years to come.
Excellent quality. Customer service at Classy Groundcover can’t be beat. This is the third year we ordered from them. We wouldn’t shop anyplace else.
Ordered on Monday, arrived on Friday, planted on Saturday. I ordered 50 bare root plants, and they arrived well packaged in very good condition. The planting instructions on the website were easily understood. Other than my sore knees from planting, they went... Read full review >
Plants came in good shape. Most are showing signs of rooting in. A generous amount were sent. Thanks.
My Mondo grass arrived right on time and in perfect health. Rain prevented me from planting right away, but the 10 day delay did not seem to affect the plants. They have been in the ground and growing well for a couple of weeks now. Thanks so much for a quality product!