Andrew wrote yet another insightful article on a plant that I have overlooked for a long time. He wrote on the Mondo grass which is a grassy plant that is botanically known as Ophiopogon jaburan and a member of the lily family, Liliaceae.
The Mondo grass is a common landscape candidate due to its ability to establish quickly and easily, valued for its drought tolerance and is disease- and pest-free. Compared to many other grass-like plants, it does not spread as fast and hence they pose less of a worry to become weedy.
In the garden, it should be grown in a semi-shaded location although it can be adapted to grow in full sun. It should be planted in moist and well-drained soil. The Mondo grass does not tolerate waterlogged conditions. As mentioned by Andrew, this plant is suitable for container culture, hence apartment gardeners with a well-lit spot at home should consider growing the Mondo grass if one desires a grassy plant.
The all green variety can be found on sale in nurseries and seen being planted in some outdoor landscaped gardens. Pictured in Andrew’s article was the more attractive, variegated version of the Mondo grass, O. jaburan ‘Variegata’, which can be used as in the garden as an accent plant to add contrast and color.
Another Ophiopogon species that is well liked by some Singaporeans is the Kyoto grass, which is botanically known as O. japonicus ‘Kyoto Dwarf’. As its cultivar name suggests, this variety is a miniaturised version of the normal mondo grass-like plant. It forms compact tufts consisting of dark green leaves less than 8 cm long. It is a slow-grower and spreads slowly. One has to plant a lot of this plant in a patch of land to ensure it looks ‘filled’!
Click on this link which will bring you to a comprehensive pdf article written about the Mondo grass and its relatives that was published online by the College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources, University of Hawaii at Manoa.
