What are the benefits of monkey grass?
Monkey grass is an excellent ground cover that thrives in both shade and sun. It requires minimal maintenance and is drought-tolerant, making it perfect for busy gardeners. Monkey grass enhances garden aesthetics with its lush, evergreen foliage and delicate lavender blossoms. Methods: You can cut back your monkey grass by simply giving it a quick mow or using your weed eater. Just be sure to adjust the mower to the highest setting. If you don’t have much to trim and want to take a more delicate approach, hand trimming will also work. Use clippers to cut the leaves down to about 3 inches.In terms of pruning monkey grass, while this will depend on your US hardiness zone and where you live, generally speaking, it is a ‘good idea to cut back in winter or early spring to maintain its tidy appearance,’ Mike continues.Trimming monkey grass isn’t mandatory, but the leaves will start to brown on the tips as they age and eventually can look pretty ragged. Each spring, monkey grass grows a fresh set of leaves, so pruning monkey grass doesn’t stunt the plant’s growth.Unfortunately, the most notable downside to growing monkey grass in your garden is its fairly aggressive growth habit. Any plant that spreads aggressively and is not controlled does have the danger of becoming invasive.
What’s another name for monkey grass?
An evergreen perennial, liriope — also known as lilyturf and monkey grass — makes a great ground cover and border plant in the landscape. Liriope, also known as monkey grass, lilyturf, and blue lily turf, is a grass-like flowering plant that is mainly used as a ground cover border. Liriope is a tough adaptable plant that is maintenance free once it is established. The grass-like leaves stay nice well into the winter months.Best Plants To Grow With Liriope Pair it with low-maintenance and durable perennials like daylily, crocosmia, sedge, blue fescue, or bearded Iris. Liriope is often planted in large numbers for a grass-like, ground cover effect. Intersperse it with mondo grass to create an interesting tapestry of dark and light colors.Unlike other plants, however, there has been little evidence to suggest that the growth of liriope inhibits the plants’ ability to produce flowers. For this reason, most recommend that liriope plant division is the choice of the gardener.Starting with brown spots, Liriope may develop brown, withered foliage during winter in some areas. Also the fungal disease anthracnose may leave the plant tattered. Whether cold or disease is the problem, a well-timed trim is the solution. Tip If you looking to contain these plants, I have some bad news.In general, all liriopes do well in filtered sun to full shade and aren’t picky about soil. The best time to plant them is in fall, a month before the first frost, so they have time to establish their roots. Trim liriope in late winter or early spring. Mow or cut back foliage to the ground before new shoots emerge.
Is monkey grass poisonous to dogs?
Though it is part of the lily family, monkey grass is toxic to both cats and dogs. However, symptoms are minor and include stomachache and nausea/vomiting. This can cause problems with your dog’s internal organs as the seeds cause irritation, particularly to their lungs or gastrointestinal tract. The most common signs that your dog has eaten or inhaled grass seeds include retching, coughing, sneezing and painful bathroom habits if they’ve made it into the intestines.The grass itself may not be harmful, but the herbicides and pesticides sprayed on it can be toxic for your dog. Also, when plucking the grass from the ground, your dog may ingest intestinal parasites such as hookworms or roundworms that contaminate the grass in fecal residue from other dogs.
What can I plant next to monkey grass?
Best Plants To Grow With Liriope Pair it with low-maintenance and durable perennials like daylily, crocosmia, sedge, blue fescue, or bearded Iris. Liriope is often planted in large numbers for a grass-like, ground cover effect. Liriopes spread via rhizomes, sometimes aggressively. You can mow or sheer liriope to the ground in late winter or early spring before it begins sprouting new growth. Remove dying flower stems and withered foliage.Disadvantages: Invasiveness: Liriope can sometimes become invasive in prime growing conditions. It spreads through underground rhizomes, and in some cases, it can outcompete other plants and become difficult to control.Liriope can be dug out, though it is rarely a one-and-done process. Roots, rhizomes and dropped seeds that hide can sprout and must be dug again. Take heart, repeated effort for two or three years will remove it all.