Stupid question: Is Boston in zone 5 or 6?

According to this map it looks like zone 6a, right?

https://planthardiness.ars.usda.gov/PHZMWeb/

If you live inside the 128 circle in the suburbs around Boston you may be zone 6b. If you live in the Western part of the state you might be zone 6a.

I've never grown Liriope for 2 reasons, one, I always thought it was not hardy here, and two I heard it can be difficult to get rid of. So maybe someone who does grow it can share whether it reseeds or spreads or is difficult to get rid of once planted. I see you have a border there next to the grass, but could it reseed into your lawn? It seems like it would be a pretty edging if it will behave itself. Daylilies have a similar profile.

I do grow Vinca as a ground cover under a Maple. I believe it grows in sun as well. It does spread and outcompetes most other plants. Mine has street and driveway on two sides and it's easy to keep the other side trimmed back every year. It works in my situation. I think it could possibly creep right over that border you have. Not sure it invades lawn. I don't have any near it. It is very low maintenance for me. It does have a very low profile.

Ajuga is another ground cover, that I believe can grow in both sun and shade, but pretty sure that could invade your lawn.

Have you considered experimenting with it? You could have a mixed planting of sun and shade plants. You could try a year of annuals and seed it and enjoy the experience. Herbs? A boxwood hedge trimmed low? Cranesbill.

I’ve never had my 3 or 4 Liriope ‘Big Blue’ reseed at all, kind of wish they would to fill in the areas where they’re planted. And if it comes back for me in 5b, you should be safe with it in 6a or 6b. It’s kind of a pedestrian plant that grows well in lots of locations, so I like some of prairie’s other ideas for more variety and color.

Here’s a picture of two ‘Big Blue’ in bloom (say that 5 times fast):

Harold,

Thanks but rudbeckia would be too tall, I think. :)

Liriope muscari (such as 'Big Blue') is benign and tame. It is clump-forming and more or less "swells up" until adjacent plants grow together. But they don't spread much, if at all, outside of their designated area. I've personally had much 'Big Blue' and vouch for it not spreading by seeding. If it happens at all, it is negligible. Liriope SPICATA on the other hand spreads rapidly and rampantly via underground rhizomes, over large areas. It can only be contained by underground root barriers or by large areas of paving such as roads, drives, or parking lots. Still, it is a beautiful and perfect plant for certain large, contained areas.

Yardvaark - thank you for clarifying that. It's good to know which Liriope is the thug. Underground rhizomes are the worse.

Hi Folks,

I saw these three different plants at another condo building in my neighborhood as I was out shopping (please see first photo below).

Notice how they form a barrier at the edge of the public sidewalk. That's what the folks in my condo building are also trying to achieve.

By the way, can anyone identify any of the plants in the photo? I ask in case any of them are one of those that I've already got my eye on: Stella D'Oro, Silver Dragon, Silvery Sunproof & Liriope ‘Big Blue’ (thanks to the thoughtful suggestion by ckerr007).

Also, is the one on the far left a daylily? If so, I wonder whether it's the same kind as the ones we already have (the second photo below shows the daylilies we have outside our building).

Any feedback will be highly appreciated. I'm trying to learn a much as possible. Thanks!

In the first photo, the two in the middle appear to be the same plant. That looks suspiciously like ribbon grass. I've never grown it, but I did see it installed in a border at a car dealer I ride by often and it quickly took over the lawn there. If it is ribbon grass, it may be a thug. Maybe someone else can say for sure. I don't know the other two.

The plant on the left and the 2nd pic do appear to be a Daylily. You won't know the color until they bloom but Stella D'Oro is probable only because of it's popularity and availability. Having said that there are over 80,000 named varieties.

Glandularia canadensis. It's evergreen, low growing, and long blooming in addition to being drought tolerant and can handle blazing sun. Hardy to zone 5. Can be rooted VERY easily.

Rob: Thanks for your suggestion but I think glandularia canadensis would be too fragile as a sort of hedge along a public sidewalk. That's just my opinion. :)

PrairieMoon & Paren: Thanks for your feedback!

BostonOak - You might try the 'Name That Plant' forum. Lots of people on the forums are very good at that. Sometimes it takes a few days to get a response but you might as well try....

Name That Plant

It's my highly successful public edging. Nothing fragile about it!

:)

I think black mondo grass interspersed with another (green or variegated) liriope, or with a lower green groundcover, would look striking. Iirc, it’s ok for your zone (if you’re in 6).

Daylilies might work well in that setting as long as you remove old flowering stems and choose one of the smaller ones. The larger daylilies will be too big.

I would avoid the lovely bright chartreuse groundcover in the photo just above (Golden Creeping Jenny, Lysimachia nummularia 'Aurea') because it will grow into the lawn and likely out onto the sidewalk as well.

It was just to show color contrast, not suggesting creeping Jenny. Sorry, should’ve clarified that.

cm,

Your suggestion of interspersing black mondo grass with green or variegated liriope is a very intriguing one.

The black mondo grass is great, my only warning is that it is very slow to establish and expand. We have some going on its third year and it is quite small, probably a quarter of the size of our liriope 'Big Blue' pictured above. If you look closely at the black mondo pictures above they appear to be super close-ups, so I wanted to correct any misconceptions about scale in the photos and expected size of the black mondo, at least in my experience. But it is unique and maybe it will grow more robustly for you in the Boston area.

ckerr,

Thank you for that clarification. At least it doesn't sound like black mondo grass will invade our lawn. I really think that interspersing it with a liriope would look really nice. Of course, I still have to contend with the views and tastes of 11 other owners in my condo building. I've proposed that an anonymous poll be conducted by the trustees. This way, people can be really honest when it comes to voting on what edging plant(s) they want.

So far, the list I'm proposing includes: Stella D'Oro, Silver Dragon, Silvery Sunproof, Liriope muscari 'Big Blue,' and black mondo grass (as an accenting plant).

I'm really grateful for all the feedback. Please don't be shy if you still have other suggestions. :)

Another possibility is Bergenia cordifolia:https://i.pinimg.com/736x/bf/c3/1d/bfc31d8e3e620eaced5a8c7ee119b4d1.jpg

I would consider sedum. Low maintenance, hard to kill. Beautiful color in the fall and if you are lazy like me and don't trim it up until spring, some added dimension all winter long.

Hi folks,

This is the progress so far.

I live in a 12-unit condo building so all the owners will vote on which plant(s) we want for the border between our lawn and the front/public sidewalk. The choices will be: Stella D'Oro, Silver Dragon, Silvery Sunproof, Liriope muscari 'Big Blue,' black mondo grass (as an accenting plant) or any other plant that might be proposed.

Once the choice has been decided, I and whomever else volunteers will do the planting.

I'm hoping we'll be able to easily buy the plants from Home Depot, Lowes or online (if this is a better alternative). I have not yet checked Home Depot or Lowes to see whether they actually have the plants. If there are any suggestions on where to purchase these plants please let me know.

In terms of planting I plan to dig good size holes for each plant and fill the hole with the plant and new soil. After this the covered hole will be topped with the mulch that's already there. Does this sound like a decent plan?

Don't amend the planting holes. This has been disproven years ago to be of benefit to the plants and can even be detrimental to proper establishment. Just use the the indigenous, native soil.

As far as where to purchase, my guess would be that Home Depot or Lowe's will have Stella D'Oro and maybe Liriope muscari 'Big Blue'. But you may have to go to a better nursery in the area for the other selections.

gardengal48:

Thanks for that feedback! I'd have thought that giving them new soil could only help. But if not, then I'm willing to simply use the existing soil.

ckerr007:

I was afraid that I might not be able to find some of the plants from Home Depot or Lowes.

I had seen this video which made me to believe that I could order these plants from HSN.com:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mgFuEpfyRpw

But I just called them and they do not have any of the plants I want.

Does anyone know of another online source that I could try?

I bought my daylilies from a good reliable company in Michigan. Smokeys gardens.com

They have the stellas. 2 fans for $2.95

Buying plants online by this time in the season may not be a good choice because plants may be cooked by sitting in a hot shipping vehicle. I would check local nurseries or wait until fall. Around me there are a bunch of nurseries that specialize in daylilies.

Heucheras are nearly carefree and come in a large variety of colors. Grown for their year round foliage, they have adorable flowers as well. Look for the more sun tolerant types, but they like shade, too.

https://hostasplants.files.wordpress.com/2015/10/heuchera-plant.jpg

Another area of plants I admittedly know nothing about, but think would be good to consider are Heaths and Heathers. Evergreen, low maintenance, hardy, nice blooms.

Maybe a combination of the two?

Sedum are less expensive then Heathers and a tough as nails option with a ton of varieties to choose from.

Just curious because this issue came up in our building: Are daylilies, like Stella d'Oro, toxic to cats?

I think this website had something to do with the concern raised by a person:

https://www.aspca.org/pet-care/animal-poison-control/toxic-and-non-toxic-plants

https://garden.org/thread/view/15995/Cats-and-Daylilies---survey-results/

This thread from another forum may be helpful. It sounds like the listing may at least partly stem from pet owners’ and vets’ confusion between lilies/Lilium (poisonous) vs. daylilies/Hemerocallis (poisonous aspect in question), though it is clear that the roots of some Hemerocallis have toxic compounds.

NHBabs,

Thank you very much for sharing that link with me! It's a fascinating read and I've shared it with our condo trustees.

Agree that NHBabs' post and link provide a great scientific explanation for why the ASPCA may have been confused when stating that true daylilies (like the Stella d'Oro you are contemplating) are poisonous to cats. I can only offer my anecdotal evidence that our cat voraciously samples our lawn grass, ornamental grasses, and sedges, but I have never seen her touch our two giant Stella d'Oro daylilies. And if she ever has and I just missed it, she has suffered no ill consequences other than to vomit on our floor as she does habitually after overindulging on her grass buffet.

another possibility:

http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?kempercode=f910

Hi folks,

Since I live in a 12-unit condo building, the fairest way to pick an edging plant, from the choices I was kindly introduced to on this forum (again, many thanks), was through an anonymous poll. The overwhelming favorite was the Silvery Sunproof (Liriope Muscari):

https://www.monrovia.com/plant-catalog/plants/1805/silvery-sunproof-lilyturf/

1) Is it okay to plant this plant during the summer? I presume that if it is, it will require watering, more so than if it's planted during the fall. We would like to plant it as soon as possible.

2) How much distance should I leave between one plant and the next one when planting them in a row, along our front lawn's edge?

In terms of the size I plan to use, it will be 8-10 inches tall and 4-6 inches wide, according to the link below:

https://www.homedepot.com/p/OnlinePlantCenter-1-gal-Variegated-Lily-Turf-Plant-L872CL/203849218?cm_mmc=Shopping%7CG%7CBase%7CD28O%7C28-8_LIVE+GOODS%7CNA%7CPLA%7CFixed_WEATHER_TEST%7c71700000050325443%7c58700004937382936%7c92700042802377915&gclid=CjwKCAjw9dboBRBUEiwA7VrrzTdhhp1W2X9r-I1OXOZawsLamRDnV7N4Jpyu83GzrkPoqRQKOm5oIBoC9BYQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

I hope my tedious questions aren't annoying. Just trying to make sure I do things correctly. I'd rather ask in this forum than simply google because nothing beats real experience. :)

After doing my own googling this was the best that I could find (but the video still did not answer my question as to how much distance to leave between each plant):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ouw4lr7FdXQ

Also, I found out that its full Latin name is Liriope muscari variegata. :)

A Good Samaritan just shared this link with me:

https://www.bing.com/search?q=+Liriope+muscari+variegata.+planting+spacing&form=IENTHT&pc=UF02&mkt=en-us&httpsmsn=1&refig=eeb50e9a610d4f90c7f96243beaafc76&sp=-1&pq=liriope+muscari+variegata.+planting+spacing&sc=1-43&qs=n&sk=&cvid=eeb50e9a610d4f90c7f96243beaafc76

I'm now ready to plant Liriope muscari variegata! I'm really curious how it will turn out.

Once again, I want to thank everyone on this forum who responded to my thread. Even though my condo building ended up by going with only one of the plants suggested, I had no control over this. I had to accept the choice of the majority.

Don't worry, bostonoak, it seems like a good choice - I bet it will turn out well. It's been fun following your progress on this thread. Please show pictures when you're done!

atmoscat,

Thanks.

By the way, is the an edging plant in the photo below a Silvery Sunproof? I saw it in a nearby town the other day.

I've also asked the same question in the Name That Plant! forum.

Finally planted the Silvery Sunproof today with the help of one other fellow condo owner in my building.

Today is supposed to be a very hot day in Boston. Luckily, we were done by 11:30am, while it was still not really hot.

I hope the plants will do well.

Anyway, see 3 photos below.

Again, I just want to thank everyone who contributed to this thread.

Hi folks,

Quick question: When we planted the Silvery Sunproof, we simply replaced the mulch that was already there. This mulch is a number of years old.

We're wondering, should we add some new mulch on top or simply wait till next year?

In fact, we're wondering whether to add mulch to our other plant beds around our building. These beds do not have any mulch. The problem is that the weeds have already grown heavily. Would it not make more sense to wait till next year when the present weeds have died, and drop new mulch before the new weeds grow?

If anyone has a suggestion, please let me know.

Thanks.

Since we planted our Silvery Sunproof last month (July 20), we've been watering them, every few days for it has been hot at times.

Is it safe to say that once September arrives we can stop watering and just rely on rain?

Hi folks,

So far the silvery sunproof (Liriope muscari variegata) have held up quite well during the winter.

However, something has been chewing on them! We do have squirrels and feral rabbits in our backyard and they could be the culprits. So in terms of the plants that have been eaten, does it mean that it will take forever for them to grow out?

Is there a way to prevent the plants from being eaten?

I have the same problem here in Virginia with the rabbits and squirrels. I go to Home Depot and buy the rabbit repellent spray, it works pretty well. But you must reapply after a rain.

Harold,

Thanks for your feedback.

In the Boston suburb where I live we definitely have an increase in Eastern Cottontail bunnies. One of them pretty much lives in our backyard permanently.

The articles below might give you a better idea of what I'm talking about:

https://www.bostonglobe.com/lifestyle/2017/06/28/forget-jackrabbit-bunnytown/cWn12dnTUCjdDUGS76xqXI/story.html

https://www.metro.us/boston/bunny-infestation-overruns-boston/zsJofC---Cf1Se4Rx8KvjU