Lomandra Platinum Beauty is an evergreen, grass-like perennial with attractive, variegated foliage. It features narrow green leaves with creamy white margins, forming neat, compact clumps that typically reach 2 to 3 feet in both height and width. Its arching leaves create a soft texture, making it a popular choice for various landscape designs. Though generally low-maintenance, proper pruning helps maintain its appearance and vigor.
When and Why to Prune Lomandra Platinum Beauty
While Lomandra Platinum Beauty does not require extensive pruning, strategic trimming benefits its overall health and aesthetic appeal. The best time to prune is late winter or early spring, just before the plant’s active growth cycle. This timing allows the plant to recover and produce fresh foliage as temperatures rise.
Pruning serves several purposes. It removes dead, damaged, or yellowed leaves, improving the plant’s appearance. Trimming also encourages denser, more compact growth. Additionally, removing old or overcrowded foliage enhances air circulation within the clump, which can help mitigate potential disease issues. For older plants that appear tired or overgrown, a significant reduction can rejuvenate them, encouraging a fresh flush of growth.
How to Prune Lomandra Platinum Beauty
Effective pruning involves using the correct tools and techniques to ensure clean cuts and promote healthy recovery. Sharp, clean bypass shears or secateurs are suitable for most tasks, ensuring a precise cut without tearing foliage. For larger or more established clumps, hedge shears can also be effective. Clean tools before use to prevent the spread of plant diseases.
The pruning process begins by addressing individual dead or discolored leaf blades, cutting them cleanly to the plant’s base. Spent flower spikes, which are creamy yellow and appear from autumn through spring, can also be removed close to the base. For general tidying and shaping, outer foliage can be carefully trimmed to maintain a desired form, such as a neat dome. When a more substantial rejuvenation is needed for an aged plant, it can be cut back harder, reducing its height to about 6 inches (15 centimeters) from the ground every few years. This encourages vigorous new growth from the plant’s base.
Post-Pruning Care
After pruning, providing appropriate care supports the plant’s recovery and encourages robust new growth. Immediately after trimming, water the plant thoroughly. This helps reduce stress from the pruning process and provides essential moisture for new foliage development. Ensuring well-draining soil is always important for Lomandra, as it helps prevent root issues.
While Lomandra Platinum Beauty is known for its resilience and low nutrient requirements, a light application of a balanced slow-release fertilizer in spring can support new growth, particularly after a substantial prune. This is generally not a strict requirement unless the plant shows signs of nutrient deficiency. Monitor the plant in the weeks following pruning for signs of stress or any developing issues. Healthy new growth indicates successful recovery.