A client, who planted a small Liriope “lawn” heard from a different landscape professional that this plant does poorly in our climate because we don’t have enough summer humidity. I haven’t used it a lot in my designs, and haven’t grown it in my own yard, but have considered it a tough and versatile plant. Is it true it does poorly here? (Why have I not heard this before?)
They used small plants for their lawn. I’ve suggested they give it two years since I think it is an interesting idea. We all realize it won’t take the kind of foot traffic regular turf will take. What do you think?
My personal experience with Liriope is not altogether positive. It pokes along in partial shade in my garden, looking rather ratty most of the time. It may be that I don’t provide it with enough water to make it happy. It’s hard to say, based on one person’s garden, whether the same will hold true in other soils, and other light and irrigation patterns. I don’t see it planted in large public spaces, or even in large quantity in home gardens in our area. And I agree with you, it’s not a turf substitute–its common name ‘lilyturf’ is a misnomer, as it’s not a lily and neither is it a turf plant.
Missouri Botanical Garden’s information about two commonly grown species suggests it does well in the South (where it’s humid in summer).
Liriope is included in Perennials: The Gardener’s Reference by local authors Susan Carter, Carrie Becker, and Bob Lilly (Timber Press, 2007). There are several species. Liriope muscari forms clumps a foot and a half wide; Liriope spicata “spreads rapidly by underground stems and will cover a wide area; it is therefore not suitable for edging but is excellent for groundcover.” It grows 8-12 inches tall by a possibly infinite spread, meaning it can be aggressive if the conditions are right. The authors say all Liriope flowers best in sun, and prefers moist, well-drained soil though it may be drought-tolerant once established. “Ragged with neglect” accurately describes the way my own plants look, so perhaps I’m just negligent. The authors say it may be cut back to the ground in spring before new growth begins, but “if there’s no winter damage, do not cut back.”
I have a client who is interested in replacing a lawn with artificial turf, but I’d like to know of examples out there, and any other thoughts you might have on the subject.
I am guessing your client is interested in a low-maintenance ground cover that gives the appearance of lush lawn without the attending needs to water, weed, fertilize, and so on. On the surface, this makes artificial turf sound like a good alternative. If your client wants a place to sit and relax in the garden, a chair will be required, as plastic is not a welcoming seat. There are other considerations as well.
There are examples of artificial turf throughout City of Seattle Parks and Recreation, and Seattle Public Schools. There are a number of fields which use artificial turf, also referred to as synthetic turf. You could contact people at these departments for their thoughts on the subject. Here is the contact person for Woodland Park field:
Ted Holden at 206-684-7021 and ted.holden@seattle.gov
Seattle Public School has a grounds maintenance number, 206-252-0645.
I have some personal observations about the artificial turf installed at Magnuson Park and at Eckstein Middle School. The field at Magnuson is in the middle of a wetland. This turf area sheds tiny crumbs of plastic or rubber which are tracked indoors on shoes (and paws!). In the rainy season, the particles wash over the pathways and into the drainage areas of the remaining wetland. This and the aforementioned school field which was replaced by artificial turf used to have some value as a habitat for birds and other creatures but both are now ecological dead zones. When we have hot weather, these expanses of synthetic turf emit an odor like singed rubber.
Below are various links about the downside of artificial turf:
A related subject is the use of recycled rubber tires (also used in synthetic turf infill) as mulch in gardens. Washington State University Extension horticulturist Linda Chalker-Scott has written about the myth of this recycled product’s supposed ecological benefits.
Perhaps your client might consider more environmentally friendly, low maintenance ground covers. You can search the Miller Library’s database for ideas about ground cover plants and lawn alternatives.
Could you tell me how to replace grass with moss in the shady areas of our lawn?
There are a number of options for replacing the grass in the shady part
of your garden. Should you decide to cultivate moss, Oregon State University’s page (now archived) on Encouraging Mosses should be of interest.
There are two books I would recommend, Moss Gardening by George Schenk
(Timber Press, 1997), particularly the chapter on “Moss Carpets,” and How
to Get Your Lawn Off Grass by Carole Rubin (Harbour Publishing, 2002).
Rubin gives directions for preparing your site, which involve digging out
existing plants or smothering the lawn with mulches of
leaves (12 inches), bark (3 inches), or newspaper (10 sheets thick).
Schenk offers several different methods for creating a moss garden.
Briefly paraphrasing, these are:
- Work with nature, allowing self-sown spores of moss to take hold.
(Prepare the site by weeding, raking, and perhaps rolling the surface
smooth).
- Encourage the moss in an existing lawn by weeding out grass. You can
plant what the author calls “weed mosses” which will spread, such as
Atrichum, Brachythecium, Calliergonella, Mnium, Plagiothecium,
Polytrichum, and others.
- Instant carpet: you can moss about 75 square feet if you have access
to woods from which large amounts of moss can be removed legally.
- Plant moss sods at spaced intervals (about one foot apart) and wait
for them to grow into a solid carpet.Choose plants that match your soil
and site conditions.
- Grow a moss carpet from crumbled fragments. This is rarely done, and
only a few kinds of moss will grow this way, including Leucobryum,
Racomitrium, and Dicranoweisia.
In her book Big Ideas for Northwest Small Gardens, Marty Wingate
recommends Mazus reptans. It is semi-evergreen to evergreen with tiny
blue flowers from late spring through summer. It takes full sun to part
shade and is delicate looking, but takes foot traffic. It requires some
fertilizer to stay perky. Another source of ideas is the website www.stepables.com. Click on “plant info,” then
“plant search.”
Another ground cover that can take foot traffic is Leptinella gruveri
“Miniature Brass Buttons.”
What is the best way to encourage moss to take over and cover large surface areas in a relatively short amount of time? My goal is to replace my lawn with a moss garden.
Here are some links to information which may be useful to you:
Primitive Plants: Bryophytes, Ferns, and Fern Allies
Moss cultivation:
Encouraging Mosses
Mad About Moss: The Simple Art of Moss Gardening
There are two books I would recommend, Moss Gardening by George Schenk (Timber Press, 1997), particularly the chapter on “Moss Carpets,” and How to Get Your Lawn Off Grass by Carole Rubin (Harbour Publishing, 2002). Rubin gives directions for preparing your site, which involve digging out existing plants or–in your case–smothering the lawn with mulches of leaves (12 inches), bark (3 inches), or newspaper (10 sheets thick). Schenk offers several different methods for creating a moss garden. Briefly paraphrasing, these are:
- Work with nature, allowing self-sown spores of moss to take hold. (Prepare the site by weeding, raking, and perhaps rolling the surface smooth.)
- Encourage the moss in an existing lawn by weeding out grass. You can plant what the author calls “weed mosses” which will spread, such as Atrichum, Brachythecium, Calliergonella, Mnium, Plagiothecium, Polytrichum, and others.
- Instant carpet: you can moss about 75 square feet if you have access to woods from which large amounts of moss can be removed legally.
- Plant moss sods at spaced intervals (about one foot apart) and wait for them to grow into a solid carpet. Choose plants that match your soil and site conditions.
- Grow a moss carpet from crumbled fragments. This is rarely done, and only a few kinds of moss will grow this way, including Leucobryum, Racomitrium, and Dicranoweisia.
Another approach is to change the soil pH. Sulphur should be beneficial to moss and detrimental to lawn grass. The reason for this lies in the fact that moss grows best with a soil pH of 5.0-6.0, while lawns grow best with soil pH between 6.0 and 7.0 (according to The Lawn Bible by David Mellor, 2003). Added sulphur lowers the soil pH, creating a more acidic environment.
“Dedicated to moving native plants and naturescaping into mainstream landscaping practices.” Includes a how-to for creating a native plant landscape and directories by state for native plant nurseries, regional plants and community service organizations.