Dwarf Mondo Grass is a shade-loving grass-like ground cover that creates a beautiful carpet of narrow, rich-green leaves all year round. It can be used to replace grass in shady spots, to edge beds and pathways, and it is an essential component of Japanese gardens, planted beside rocks and water features, or in any shady corner. In summer short spikes of whitish-lavender flowers will be seen, and these become blue-black berries in fall, adding interest. This easily grown plant has so many uses around the garden, and adds a richness and completeness to your planting, in any style of garden.
It is a lush green, grass-like ground cover that is perfect under a tree for a shade garden. It is easy to grow and a very low maintenance plant.
Mondo Grass will grow in any well-drained soil, preferring damper soils, but tolerating some dry periods too. It grows from full sun to full shade, preferring shade in hotter areas. In sunny areas the soil needs to be constantly moist for best growth. This plant has no pests or diseases, and it is easy to grow with almost no maintenance required at all. In colder areas it may turn yellow in winter, so simply cut back the foliage in early spring, and fresh, new, rich green leaves will soon return.
Once you start to use this plant, and discover how useful it is, you will be growing it everywhere. It looks especially effective growing as an edging to plantings of lighter-foliage plants, like hydrangea, or below gardenia bushes. To create a groundcover, plant between 6 inches apart for a quick cover to develop, or at 10-inch spacing if you don’t mind waiting a little longer for the bed to fill. In poor soil use an organic mulch in spring, spreading it between the plants, to encourage stronger growth. After a few years of growth, you can lift a clump and split it into many plants, finding novel places in your garden to grow it.
Mondo Grass, Ophiopogon japonicus, grows naturally in woodlands and beneath trees in Japan. It has been used for centuries in their gardens, and probably came to America in the 19th century, when so many Japanese plants were introduced. Our plants are grown by division of superior, healthy forms and they will quickly establish and become dense clumps of this attractive plant. The trends of ground-cover plants, Japanese gardens and container gardening all come together in this versatile and useful plant, so the demand is always high. Order now while our top-quality plants are still in stock.
