Thanks grass guy for responding so quickly. So I guess I should wait until February? How low should I cut? The two I mentioned earlier that I cut, I cut them all the way to the ground...flushed. Was I correct in doing that? They were so pretty during the summer and I do not want to kill them.

ambitious...a couple of thoughts:

It would help us if we knew where you are, zone-wise. Lily relatives like Liriope react differently in different zones, and definately different from grasses.

Unless you have a lot of plants in reserve, it's often better to ask questions like this before you cut.

Now, we need to know what kind of Liriope you have. If it's plain old Monkey Grass, and you're in a fairly temperate zone, say zone 7 or up, trimming it flush to the ground probably won't hurt it.

If you're in a colder zone, or if you have a sensitive cultivar, you may want to mulch it for the winter to give it some protection.

don, sorry, I should have mentioned the zone and type. I am in Zone 7 - and the type of Liriope I have is Liriope 'variegated. They have purple flowers growing from the center. They were planted when I had my landscaping completed along with Azaleas and a Dwarf Japanese Maple on January 10, 2006. Hope this helps!

Thank you so much for responding.

don, it is the type mention is the subject

If you're in zone 7, you must have true variegated liriope. I'm growing aztec grass, which everyone around here calls variegated liriope, but is really an ophiopogon...i believe. It gets much thicker clumped and much harder to cut back.

Are these in a border or planted in a massed planting? Ive seen people take their mowers right over liriope plantings and cut them down to 3 or 4 inches. They seem to come back just fine around here.

grass guy, the Liriope are planted in a border outlining a very curvy landscaping from the front of the house to both sides. I must say the landscapers did an outstanding job. I guess my hubby could use the lawnmower but I am afraid he is going to nick the heads of the irrigation system or get to close to my dwarf azaleas.

cutting back the old fashioned way may be the best solution. :)

You wrote:
they look pretty good except I think they are about to go dormant for the winter.

Why cut them back at all? I just trim off the few "blades" that turn brown and leave the rest alone.

I was surprised to find that anyone in zone 7 would be cutting back their liriope now. My Variegated Liriope up here in zone 5 Michigan hasn't started to look bad yet. (I grow it in a protected area close to my house because it is only marginally hardy. I know you guys will laugh, but up here I treat this as a specimen plant!)

We have already had a couple of snow squalls this fall and many of the trees in our neighborhood have lost their leaves, all my hostas are gone, the spring bulbs are planted, but the liriope still looks fine.

BTW, I never cut mine back hard in the spring either. I trim off a few burned fronds and cut stems as necessary with household scissors &/or run my hands through the plants and grab and toss debris, then let the new foliage fill in.

I always find zone differences to be fascinating. :~))

I never cut mine back hard in the spring either.

Me too! I don't even trim off the dead leaves.. my liriope are a sort of self cleaning plants, but I guess that the warmer zone can make the difference.

I'm in zone 7 in VA and have a border of variegated liriope that does very well. I give it a serious cut in February, before the new growth starts. I cut it as low as I reasonably can without actually getting into the crown of the plant. I've used everything from hand pruners to scissors to hedge trimmers to a gas powered string trimmer. The easiest by far is the string trimmer but the neatest looking is the scissors. However, they also make for the hardest work. If you're worried about transmitting diseases from one plant to another, just rinse the tools you're using with a 9 parts water to 1 part bleach solution between plants.

A few years I've left it without trimming and it's really messy looking for several months from the dead leaves. We also get some fungus in it each winter that seems to be better controlled by the spring cut. Then it looks great all summer and fall with very little evidence of the fungus.

I'm in zone 7 and simply mow them over (both the green and the variegated) with a lawnmower in very early spring before the new growth starts emerging. No muss, no fuss, and they fill out quickly once it starts warming up. The ones I can't use the mower on get hand trimmed with clippers.

Larry