Variegated liriope (Liriope muscari ‘Variegata’) is highly valued for its striking green and creamy-white striped foliage. This plant is often selected for its ability to provide year-round texture and brightness in the landscape. The primary anxiety for most homeowners centers on its potential to spread aggressively and invade other garden areas. This confusion arises because the genus Liriope contains two major species with distinctly different growth habits.
Understanding Clumping Growth
Variegated liriope is classified as a clumping plant. This growth pattern is determined by its root structure, which utilizes short, thick rhizomes to expand slowly outward from a central point. These rhizomes produce new crowns immediately adjacent to the parent plant, steadily increasing the overall diameter of the clump.
The result is a predictable, contained boundary that expands at a modest rate, typically reaching a mature spread of 12 to 18 inches. While the clump does become larger over time, it is not considered invasive and will generally not encroach on turf or neighboring planting beds aggressively. This non-aggressive behavior makes Liriope muscari ‘Variegata’ an excellent choice for formal borders, walkway edging, and container plantings where containment is desired.
The gradual expansion of the clump is achieved through the development of tight, fleshy root structures that sometimes include small, potato-like tubers. These tubers store nutrients and moisture, contributing to the plant’s hardiness and drought tolerance once established.
Identifying Running Liriope Varieties
The widespread confusion about liriope’s invasiveness stems from the existence of a different species, Liriope spicata, which exhibits a truly aggressive running habit. This species, often marketed as Creeping Lilyturf, is the primary source of the plant’s reputation for rapid and unwanted spread. Liriope spicata uses long, thin underground stems known as leptomorph rhizomes to send new shoots up significant distances from the original plant.
These rhizomes can travel several inches to a foot or more away from the main crown before emerging, quickly forming dense colonies that colonize large areas. This ability to spread widely and rapidly is why Liriope spicata is generally recommended only for mass plantings in confined spaces or for erosion control on slopes where its aggressive nature is beneficial. The foliage of the running variety is typically narrower, sometimes only one-eighth inch wide, which can offer a simple visual clue for differentiation.
The clumping Liriope muscari varieties, including the variegated type, have wider leaves, often one-quarter inch or more, and more pronounced flower spikes that rise above the foliage. Understanding this distinction is crucial when purchasing, as the common names “Monkey Grass” or “Lilyturf” are often applied indiscriminately to both species. Checking the scientific name—muscari for the clumping type and spicata for the running type—is the only way to guarantee the desired growth habit.
Management and Division
The management of variegated liriope is straightforward due to its clumping nature, focusing mainly on rejuvenation and propagation rather than containment. Since the plant expands slowly, division is the primary method used to control the size of an established clump. This process should ideally be performed in the early spring before new growth begins or in the fall after the heat of summer has passed.
To divide the plant, the entire clump is dug up and the dense root ball is physically separated into smaller sections. A sharp spade, knife, or even a saw may be necessary to cut through the tightly packed crowns and fibrous roots. Each section, or division, should contain a portion of the roots and foliage to ensure successful re-establishment.
Dividing the clumps every few years prevents them from becoming overly congested and helps maintain the plant’s vigor and flowering capacity. Because the plant remains in a tight clump, it is easily utilized as a dependable, contained edging plant along garden beds or walkways. The ability to divide and transplant these sections freely makes variegated liriope an economical and versatile option for filling out multiple areas of the landscape.