Pet Scribbles

A crafty blog with a vintage vibe. And cats.

  • Home
  • About
    • About Me
    • Why “Pet Scribbles”
    • Featured On
    • Work with Me! Hire Me!
    • Contact
    • Copyright
    • Privacy Policy
  • Gardening
    • All
    • My Favorite Plants
    • Easy Pruning Tips
  • Crafts & DIY
    • All
    • Winter
    • Spring
    • Summer
    • Fall
  • Holidays
    • Valentine’s Day
    • St. Patrick’s Day
    • Easter
    • Mother’s Day
    • Father’s Day
    • Patriotic
    • Halloween
    • Thanksgiving
    • Christmas and New Year’s Eve
  • Life
    • Cats
    • Personal
    • Books
    • Blogging
    • Food

How to prune Variegated Lilyturf (Liriope Muscari)

May 19, 2015 By Laura

Pin
Share
Tweet
726Shares

This post and photos may contain Amazon or other affiliate links. If you purchase something through any link, I may receive a small commission at no extra charge to you. Any supplies used may be given to me free of charge, however, all projects and opinions are my own.


Variegated Lilyturf perennials – also known as Liriope Muscari – have earned my respect for their easy care, being practically maintenance free! I think every garden needs to have some carefree plants like these! Here’s how to easily prune them in the Spring . . .

how to prune liriope muscari

Last Fall, just after Labor Day, we embarked on a professional landscape transformation of our front yard.

Have I shared the pictures and amazing story here yet? No. I am so bad, and promise to get my butt in gear to finish up editing the pictures. (The problem is that I took SO many, and you don’t need to see 65 pictures of dirt piles, even though they fascinated me!)

In our main bed in the front yard is where you’ll find 7 Variegated Lilyturf plants, also known as Liriope Muscari.

newly planted liriope muscari

These plants have earned my respect for their easy care, and for how hard they work at staying maintenance free! I think every garden needs to have some carefree plants like Variegated Lilyturf!

Variegated Lilyturf - Liriope Muscari

The Lilyturf was planted in mid-September, and just a month later, they had grown like crazy in the new, fertile dirt and mulch!

liriope muscari in the fall

Here’s a better shot, although it’s in the shade . . .

variegated lilyturf in the fall

Variegated Lilyturf also known “Liriope Muscari”

  • Use as a clumpy groundcover or as border edging
  • Blooms in late Summer with purple-lilac-blue (my best description) flowers
  • Flowers resemble grape hyacinths
  • Evergreen – keeps its color year-round
  • Perennial in USDA Zones 5 – 11 (Your own growing conditions may vary.)
  • Partial sun, and easily adaptable to shade or full sun once established
  • Deer resistant

Our Variegated Lilyturf plants kept their color during the Winter months, but after a few snowstorms coupled with below-freezing temperatures, they looked a bit ragged:

when to prune variegated lilyturf
when to prune lilyturf

And that’s where the basic – and minimal – care comes in:

Every Spring, before the new growth begins, simply prune them down to within a few inches of the ground.

I pruned our Liriope (what I personally call them) on April 21st:

how to prune variegated lilyturf
how to prune lilyturf

Here’s how the plants looked two weeks later on May 5th:

How to prune liriope muscari

Here’s how the plants looked on May 13th:

pruning liriope muscari in the Spring

And here’s how the Liriope looked on May 18th, almost a month after being pruned:

Prune Lilyturf in the Spring
Lilyturf (Liriope) in the Spring

Yes, that’s how easy it is to look after your Lilyturf plants!

Optional pruning: In the Fall, I cut the blooms off at the base of each stem once they are finished blooming. If the leaves are looking a bit too long, I’ll snip off a couple of inches at the most from the ends. Then I have nice green color during the Winter months!

How to prune Variegated Lilyturf - Liriope Muscari

Happy gardening!

More from my site

  • Pinky Winky Hydrangea Care  — Your Ultimate GuidePinky Winky Hydrangea Care — Your Ultimate Guide
  • Little Lime Hydrangea — Your Ultimate GuideLittle Lime Hydrangea — Your Ultimate Guide
  • Kramer’s Red Winter HeathKramer’s Red Winter Heath
  • Candytuft: An Easy Year-Round Garden BeautyCandytuft: An Easy Year-Round Garden Beauty
  • How to Prune Stella D’Oro DayliliesHow to Prune Stella D’Oro Daylilies
  • Should You Deadhead Knockout Roses?Should You Deadhead Knockout Roses?
Pin
Share
Tweet
726Shares

Comments

  1. Meg Webber says

    May 26, 2015 at 8:50 pm

    Great tips! Love that you included progression of pics!

    • Laura says

      May 27, 2015 at 1:33 pm

      Thanks Meg! Glad you loved the progression pics. I try to do that whenever possible in my garden posts so readers can see how a plant looks over time. 🙂

  2. Mary M. says

    October 5, 2016 at 11:30 am

    Laura,
    I just came across your website for the first time today. I too love gardening with perennials, grasses and shrubs. I am enjoying your blogs and great pics and simple instructions. It is interesting to see your liriope doing so well. Mine is not as robust as yours even though it was planted about 4 years ago. I think it is because it is not in full sun. BUt I recently significantly trimmed a very large shrub next to it that was giving it much shade. I think the increased sunlight will allow it to get larger now.

    Thanks for some very good insight!

    Mary

  3. sandra weggeman says

    April 29, 2017 at 1:42 pm

    Thank you so much! The pictures are so helpful in describing how and WHEN you pruned. I love that you documented how long it took the new growth to appear. Excellent job!

Pet Scribbles is where I share my craft tutorials, home and garden projects, and occasional stories about my cats. I can never have enough pretty craft paints to work with, and I love to make things look time-worn with distressing and aging. Gardening is my therapy!

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Subscribe to our Newsletter

Pet Scribbles is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

Archives

Looking for Something?

Categories

COPYRIGHT © PET SCRIBBLES LLC • PRIVACY POLICY