A love letter to black mondo grass

I find it absolutely fascinating that it’s taken me eighteen seasons in the field to really notice the black Mondo grass (Ophiopogon planiscapus ‘Nigrescens’. This blog post is a sort of love letter to this stunning perennial with year round interest.

Flowers and berries

Yes, sure, I’ve seen the black Mondo grass on my sites, usually in border mass plantings. But it wasn’t until last year that I actually stopped to examine the berries this perennial evergreen produces. I found it weird that I possessed zero recollection of these cute purple berries.

Perhaps it’s because in my capacity as landscape supervisor I now, occasionally, have time to stop and note things in the landscape. It’s harder to pull off when you’re running around with machines all day.

And as for summer flowers, those I finally stopped to admire on my own patio. Thanks to landscape editing I got a chance to rescue several unwanted clumps of the black Mondo grass. Now, then, here was my chance to examine the plant all year. In my own pots.

Mondo basics

There is very little you have to do to this plant. Make sure it’s well watered in summer and cut back any suspicious foliage from last year.

Since the slow growing plant forms clumps, you might want to divide the clumps every two to three years.

I’ve seen the black Mondo grass in mixed containers and in mass plantings in borders. Have some fun with it and experiment.

Companions

Potential companion plants include Hostas, Athyrium japonicum (Japanese painted fern), Liriope, Heuchera, and vinca. Since vinca is now considered an invasive species this combination doesn’t excite me. The others are awesome.

If you don’t have any black Mondo grass in your garden, get some soon and plant it with Hostas, Heucheras or Athyrium. It will give you year round interest and since it’s a slow growing perennial, it won’t overwhelm your garden space.

I’m glad I now have more time to notice details in my landscapes.