Creeping Lilyturf: A Flowering Perennial Groundcover

If you’re looking for a low-maintenance groundcover that also flowers, look no further than creeping lilyturf. This tough perennial has thick, blade-like foliage and forms attractive clumps. In this article, I’ll share more details about creeping lilyturf, along with how easy it is to grow and care for.

Known botanically as Liriope spicata, other common names for creeping lilyturf include creeping liriope and monkey grass. The thick, dark green leaves are grass-like, and the plants grow in clumps much like a grass, but lilyturf is not a true grass. It spreads quickly, thrives even in less-than-ideal conditions, and is a tough ground cover. Creeping lilyturf produces erect flower spikes of purple blooms that are followed by a blue-black berry. The plants reach approximately 10 inches tall.

There are several traits of creeping lilyturf that make it an ideal choice for ground cover beds, un-mowable slopes, and areas around shallow-rooted trees where little else will grow.

Creeping lilyturf is:

• Fast growing
• Evergreen (or semi-evergreen, depending on your climate)
• Deer resistant
• Drought resilient
• Tolerant of road salt spray
• Flowering
• Pest resistant
• Unaffected by disease

Spreading via underground rhizomes, creeping lilyturf plants quickly grow together to form a mat. It’s a great choice for erosion control on slopes or sites where washout regularly occurs.

Liriope spicata is native to Asia and exhibits hardiness between USDA zone 4 and 10, meaning it survives winter temperatures down to -30°F. The ideal site has well-drained soil, though just about any soil type will be tolerated. Preferred sun levels are anything