Liriope muscari Gold Banded

The Liriope 'Gold Banded' is a variety of Liriope muscari distinguished by its bright green foliage. Marginated with golden yellow, it harmonizes with a flowering in short and dense lavender-blue spikes, longer and more generous than in other varieties. The plant is a vigorous evergreen perennial with a grass-like appearance. Indeed, it presents a tuft of linear and wide leaves with light edges that illuminate shaded flower beds throughout the year! This rhizomatous perennial makes a good ground cover to elegantly garnish the base of trees, borders of flower beds and paths, and pots. It thrives in well-drained soil, in the sun, in partial shade, and even in dry shade. Its slow growth is compensated by its robustness.

The Liriope muscari 'Gold Banded' belongs to the Liliaceae family (Asparagaceae), just like its native ancestor from temperate Southeast Asia (China, Korea, Japan, Vietnam). This herbaceous perennial with short and fibrous rhizomes forms dense clumps, so it is non-invasive, and its stems are almost non-existent. It forms a dense bouquet of leaves, 30 cm (12in) tall and 45 cm (18in) wide, slowly spreading to form lush carpets, attractive throughout the year. Its leaves are quite flexible, slightly trailing, ribbon-like, lanceolate, measuring about 30 to 40 cm (12 to 16in) long and 1 to 2 cm (0 to 1in) wide. They are glossy and a particularly dark green, with golden margins that stand out especially well in partially shaded exposure. Flowering occurs from July to October, depending on the climate, on purple flower spikes that rise well above the foliage. It takes the form of inflorescences in spikes, 40-45 cm (16-18in) tall, where numerous small round bells, similar to muscari flowers, are tightly packed. The nectar-rich flowering, visited by butterflies, is followed by the formation of black fruits.

Liriope muscari is a discreet yet elegant, accommodating, versatile, and very useful plant in a garden. Its great resistance to cold, drought, and shade allows it to be used in many situations: in open woodland, at the base of trees, as a border to highlight the design of a path, in a rock garden with heathers for example, or in Japanese style gardens around the base of a Japanese maple. Pair this lovely variety with Heuchera Chantilly in moist soil, with small spring bulbs (snowdrops, muscari, botanical narcissus), or with lilies in a border or rock garden exposed to morning sun. It is also a plant that grows very well in pots, on a windowsill or balcony. It is so accommodating that it will forgive watering lapses and thrive in gardens without gardeners or weekend gardens.