Love the Yard,

I have two different varieties of variegated Liriope. One is the Aztec grass, which has white flowers. The second has different leaves and a tall purple flower spike. This may be variegated mondo grass. I brought this one from my parents' garden in NC.

And liriope is...?

They are 2 different plants. Variegated Liriope bears purple inflorescences and has yellow banding. There are several cultivars in the trade including 'Variegata'. These variegated forms tend to "lay down" in winter when it gets cold.

The white striped plant sold as Aztec Grass is actually Ophiopogon intermedius 'Argenteomarginatus'. It has a white inflorescence.

We have developed a collection of different Liriope and Ophiopogon cultivars and species at Leu Gardens. There are some really nice ones out there that should be cultivated more. Below is a link to a photo gallery of some of them.

Eric
Orlando,FL

Here is a link that might be useful: Liriope and Ophiopogon at Leu Gardens

I brought variegated liriope from up north to Sarasota Florida. It was fine for a while but now it seems to be struggling as the leaves are very thin. Now the deer in our neighborhood have discovered them and eaten them to the ground. They are now stubs. Do you think they will recover and can I put fertilizer and deer away on them? They seem to only have Aztec Grass at the garden centers here. I don't like it as well. Is there anywhere that sells the kind of liriope I like here in Florida? Thanks for your help. ellenalowery@gmail.com

Love The Yard - thank you so much for that I.D.! I got some of that grass from a huge pile of limbs that was dumped in a wooded area, and have always wondered what it was. I knew it wasn't liriope, becuase it never got any larger. I love it, but it doesn't spread as rapidly as the regular Ophiopogon varieties.