Mondo Grass
Live plants delivered Australia wide. 30 day healthy plant guarantee.
Mondo grass is the low, evergreen clumping plant that finishes a garden: a neat edge along a path, a green carpet between pavers, a tidy skirt under trees where lawn will not grow. It is not a true grass but a relative of the lily, which is why it tolerates shade, dry roots and foot traffic that would thin a lawn. Choose standard mondo for cover, the dwarf for pavers, and black mondo for contrast.
Which size? How many?
Size ladder: what each pot looks like on arrivalHedge calculator: plants per metre, pricedHeights on arrival sit under every size on the product page. Freight is quoted with multiple freight companies and passed on at cost.
Dwarf Mondo Grass Ophiopogon japonicus 'Nana'
3 sizes, Tube to 140mm
41% offFrom $16.49$28.09per plant, packs of 10Unit price /Unavailable-
Black Mondo Grass Ophiopogon planiscapus 'Nigrescens'
3 sizes, Tube to 140mm
42% offFrom $14.19$24.49per plant, packs of 10Unit price /Unavailable -
Mondo Grass Ophiopogon japonicus
3 sizes, Tube to 140mm
50% offFrom $10.95$21.95Unit price /Unavailable
More information
How to choose mondo grass
Mondo Grass is the standard form, about 25cm tall, and the quickest way to cover ground under trees or edge a bed. Dwarf Mondo Grass stays at about 10cm and is the one for the gaps between pavers and stepping stones, where it takes light foot traffic and never needs mowing. Black Mondo Grass has strappy purple black leaves and pale pink flower spikes; use it as an edge or a ribbon against silver, lime or white plants, where the colour reads.
The trade-off is speed against size. The dwarf spreads slowly and needs closer planting; the standard form fills in within two seasons. Black mondo is slower than both and colours best with some sun.
Where mondo grass works
Mondo grows in full shade, part shade and morning sun, in any soil that holds some moisture, and it is frost hardy. It is the standard answer for dry shade under established trees, the strip between a fence and a path, the edges of steps, and courtyards where a lawn is too much trouble. It also suits pots as a green base under a feature plant. In full afternoon sun in the subtropics the leaf tips can scorch, so give it shade for part of the day there.
For other low plants that take the same positions see ground covers for low maintenance gardens and the plants for full shade.
Planting and spacing
Plant standard mondo 15cm to 20cm apart for cover in a season, dwarf mondo 10cm apart between pavers, and black mondo 20cm to 25cm apart as an edge. Loosen the soil, add compost, set each clump at the depth it grew and water in. Mulch lightly between the plants until they meet. For a long edge, buy in packs and plant from a string line so the row reads straight.
Care basics
Water weekly through the first summer; after that mondo needs water only in long dry spells. Feed once in spring. If old leaves look tatty after winter, trim the clumps back by a third in late winter and fresh growth covers them by spring. Clumps can be lifted and divided in autumn or spring to extend a planting, which is the cheap way to edge a whole garden over a few years. Snails sometimes chew the new leaves; a bait around new plantings solves it. Our guide to growing mondo grass covers division and renovation in detail.
Common questions
Does mondo grass need mowing?
No. It stays at its height, 10cm for the dwarf and about 25cm for the standard form, and only needs an occasional trim of old leaves.
Will mondo grass grow in full shade?
Yes. It is one of the few ground covers that stays dense in full shade, including dry shade under trees.
How far apart do I plant dwarf mondo between pavers?
About 10cm apart in each gap. It fills the gaps in a year or two and takes light foot traffic.
Is black mondo grass really black?
The leaves are a very dark purple that reads as black beside paler plants, deepest in some sun. New leaves start green and darken.
