Lily Turf
How To Care For A Lily Turf
The lily turf resembles long thick grass. It is used as an attractive ground cover or to decorate a landscape. It is a perennial plant that belongs to the lily family. The bright color of the long grass like leaves can be seen all year round and the lily turf is an evergreen plant. It is known for being easy to grow and take care of and it is an excellent companion plant.
The long leaves of the lily turf plant have a distinctive white stripe on the side of each leaf. Each leaf can grow up to 1 foot in height. In mid summer this plant produces small flowers and the colors of the blooms are either violet or dark blue. After the flowers bloom, small black to burgundy seeds appear. Each individual plant grows up in tufts and the blooms grow in between these tufts.
If you are thinking about growing a lily turf in your garden, you should know that it is very easy to maintain. It does well in the winter but it could be harmed in temperatures that go below 10 degrees for a long period of time. If you live in an area where a frigid winter is expected, you can place a tarp or plastic covering over the plant. You will want to protect it from extreme cold temperatures but the plant does fine in 32 degrees and over.
When you plant your lily turf make sure to give the plant plenty of room to grow. The long leaves have a tendency to lean and bend toward the ground. So if you plan on planting more than one of these plants, you should space them a full foot away from each other.
These plants like to be in acidic soil. To make sure you have the right mix, you can purchase a soil tester at your local garden center. If your soil does not contain the right nutrients, you can get the right fertilizer to improve it. Mix the fertilizer into the soil thoroughly and wait a full week before you plant your lily turf.
It is recommended that you place the lily turf in direct sunlight with a mix of a small amount of shade. Flowering plants like sunlight and this helps them to produce more blooms and fruit. But too much intense heat or cold can harm this plant. Place it in an area that has morning sunlight and afternoon shade. This way the plant can receive plenty of sunshine, without scorching the blooms or leaves.
This plant grows quickly and bushes out in all directions. So it isn’t a good idea to plant them too close together. The leaves hang forward and the plants can take up twice the amount of room than you may have expected. If this is the case, you can remove a few of the plants completely and let the others grow and fill the area in. They are strong plants and can grow to cover quite a bit of space and you should keep this in mind before planting them.
You won’t have to worry about watering with the lily turf. It does well in dry arid soil and it can even withstand a drought. You should water this plant once every 2 weeks or once a week in unusually hot temperatures. But you must always wait until the soil is dry and sandy before watering. If the soil is moist and wet, wait until the following week to water it. During most average summers, you can simply rely on the rain to water the lily turf.