Liriope ‘Monroe White’

Liriope 'Monroe White' (Liriope muscari 'Monroe White') is the white flowered form of the classic strappy border plant, making a tidy clump about 40cm tall and 40cm wide. Where most liriopes give you purple, this one sends up clean white spikes in late summer and autumn, and it does that best in the part shade where colour is hardest to find. It is frost hardy, drought tolerant and safe around pets.

Why you'll love it

• White flower in shade. Upright spikes through late summer and autumn, brightest in part shade where most flowering plants sulk.
• Evergreen structure at a useful size. A 40cm dome of dark strappy foliage holds its shape all year, so a border edge stays defined through winter.
• A difficult combination of tolerances. Frost hardy and drought tolerant, but also humidity tolerant, so it performs from cool southern gardens to the subtropics.
• Pet safe and low effort. Not toxic to cats or dogs, with no staking, no deadheading and no annual cut back.

Where it works best

Borders and edging. Plant 30cm apart for a continuous border. At that spacing clumps meet cleanly and the line reads as one band of foliage rather than a row of separate plants.

Mass planting, shaded courtyards and pots. The same spacing gives around eleven plants per square metre and a solid evergreen surface that suppresses weeds, which suits the ground under established trees where grass will not grow. One plant fills a 250mm pot.

Growing Liriope 'Monroe White' in Australia

Position and climate. Part shade is the sweet spot. It grows in full sun in cooler gardens, but in hot inland positions the foliage bleaches and flowering suffers. It suits subtropical, warm temperate and cool temperate gardens and is frost hardy through southern winters.

Soil. Adaptable to most soils provided the site is not permanently boggy. Work compost through the bed before planting, which is worth doing under trees where the soil is dry and root filled. Mulch 50mm deep, clear of the crowns.

Water and feed. Water weekly through the first summer, then only in dry spells, since it is drought tolerant once the roots are down. A light dressing of complete fertiliser in early spring supports the late season flowering.

Pruning. Optional. If the foliage looks tired after winter, shear the whole planting to about 10cm in early spring and it will refurnish within six weeks. Every second or third year is enough.

What to expect when it arrives

We grow it in four sizes: tube stock, 140mm plants in packs of ten, 175mm in packs of six and 200mm in packs of six. Tubes are small single fans of leaves and suit a large area where you can wait a season. The 200mm plants arrive as full clumps that give a finished edge immediately.

Liriope travels better than almost any other border plant. Leaves may arrive creased or with browned tips, which trims off. Expect roots to take hold over the first month, with clumps meeting at 30cm spacing by the end of the second season. Plants are delivered Australia wide, with delivery from $29.95, and every plant carries our 30 day healthy plant guarantee.

Plant care guides and related reading

• How liriope is used in Australian landscaping
• Choosing the right edging plants
• Groundcovers that perform in shade
• Browse plants that are safe around pets

Common questions

How far apart should I plant it for a border?

Thirty centimetres apart in a single row for a continuous edge, or the same on a grid for mass planting, about eleven plants per square metre. Wider spacing leaves gaps for two or three years.

Will it flower in full shade?

It survives in deep shade but flowers sparsely. Part shade, with direct sun for a few hours or filtered light all day, gives the best display of white spikes without bleaching the foliage.

Does it spread and become a problem?

No. This is a clumping form that widens slowly from the centre rather than running through the garden on underground stems. Lift and divide every four or five years if you want more plants.