Evergreen Giant Liriope

Evergreen Giant Liriope (Liriope muscari 'Evergreen Giant') is the largest of the liriopes and the one to use when a border needs to hold its own. It forms an upright clump of dark strappy leaves about 60cm tall and 60cm wide, with purple flower spikes through summer. What sells it is the range of conditions it accepts: full sun or deep shade, frost, drought, salt and poor soil. Planted 40cm apart it forms a continuous border in a season.

Why you'll love it

• Sun or deep shade, both work. Few plants look the same in a hot western bed and under a shady tree.
• Height that reads as a border. At 60cm it is twice the size of common liriope, so it edges a driveway or path with real presence.
• Purple spikes in summer. Violet flower stems sit above the foliage through the warm months and draw bees and butterflies.
• Close to indestructible. Frost hardy, drought tolerant, salt tolerant and content in poor soil.
• Safe around pets. Not toxic to cats or dogs, so it can be mass planted through a yard the dog uses.

Where it works best

Borders and mass planting. Plant 40cm apart in a single row for a continuous edge, or in a staggered grid at the same spacing for mass planting.

Groundcover under trees. It copes with dry shade and root competition, which is exactly where lawn fails. Use it beneath established trees and along shaded side passages.

Slopes, walls and pots. The fibrous roots bind soil on a batter, clumps soften the top of a retaining wall, and it keeps its shape in a container.

Growing Evergreen Giant Liriope in Australia

Position and climate. Anything from full sun to deep shade. In hot inland and northern gardens the foliage stays richer green with afternoon shade, while in cooler southern gardens full sun gives the strongest flowering. It is frost hardy and suits tropical through to cool temperate gardens.

Soil. Not fussy. It grows in sand, in clay and in compacted soil, though drainage improves the look of it. Mulch 50mm deep between clumps while they fill in.

Water and feed. Water twice a week through the first summer to get the clumps away, then only through extended dry spells. A handful of complete fertiliser in early spring is all it asks for.

Maintenance. Every second or third winter, shear the whole planting back to about 100mm above the ground before the spring flush. The clumps return thicker and cleaner, and this one job separates a sharp border from a tired one.

What to expect when it arrives

It is grown in tube, 140mm, 175mm and 200mm sizes, with the larger three sold in multipacks. There are no advanced sizes and none are needed: liriope establishes fast, and a 140mm plant is a full sized clump within twelve months. For a 10m border you are looking at roughly 25 plants at 40cm spacing.

Plants are delivered Australia wide, with delivery from $29.95. Advanced and large stock is freighted at cost. Expect the leaf tips to look tired for a fortnight, then new leaves from the centre of the clump within four to six weeks. Every plant carries our 30 day healthy plant guarantee.

Plant care guides and related reading

• Browse the full groundcover range
• Planting a retaining wall and slope
• More low maintenance plants for tough spots
• Pots and planters to grow it in

Common questions

How many plants do I need per metre?

At 40cm spacing, two and a half plants per metre of border, or about six per square metre for mass planting. Set them out before you dig so the run finishes evenly.

Will it grow in full shade under a tree?

Yes, including dry shade with root competition. Flowering is lighter in deep shade but the foliage stays dense and green, which is usually the reason it is planted there.

Is it invasive?

No. This is a clumping plant, not a runner, so it stays where you put it and widens slowly, unlike the spreading turf lilies it is often confused with.