dinajean
Full Member
Posts: 18
Joined: Mon Dec 05, 2005 1:11 pm
Location: Pickens County, South Carolina

grass or bulbs?

Looks almost daylilly-ish .... clumps of this growing in a spot where other vines and groundcover were planted YEARS ago. Is it just common grass or is it something else? The roots were shallow and almost seemed like a small carrot shaped bulb was attached to roots, but may have just been other stuff growing in the roots - the property has not been maintained in a VERY LONG TIME. Would appreciate any help in identifying.

Thanks, DIna :)

[img]https://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j182/cmc2dina/070609_South_Carolina005.jpg[/img]
[img]https://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j182/cmc2dina/070609_South_Carolina004.jpg[/img]

oishii
Full Member
Posts: 13
Joined: Fri Jun 30, 2006 4:35 am

Hi Dina,

I agree with you that it does look like a daylily. I have a variety in my yard that blooms a reddish-purple flower that has fine looking leaves such as the ones in your picture. Also the stella d'oro daylily tends to grow in dwarf clumps and have thinner leaves than the taller varieties.

I also think that the thicker leafed ornamental grass sprout their leaves in a distinctive manner, several blades shooting up together (praying hand style)... pardon *smile*... I don't know the correct term for this, but I have found that I can usually distinguish between the ribbon type grass and bulbs such as the daylily by the formation of their sprout; the daylily coming up 'fountain style' and the grasses first blades seemingly stuck together in the center (if that makes any sense). I tried to take a picture to show this distinction, but alas, the ornamental grasses I have are far along and they are already in established clumps with no new leaves in the center.

Also, being that grasses tend to be pretty aggressive and invasive, with the long underground roots, if they start to pop up outside the clumps, it may help you to distinguish between bulb or grass.

For now, my vote is for some sort of bulb... a daylily, as you suspect, perhaps.

Sorry, I cannot be more helpful and perhaps the wait will tell. I would be very curious to know what they turn out to be.

dinajean
Full Member
Posts: 18
Joined: Mon Dec 05, 2005 1:11 pm
Location: Pickens County, South Carolina

I will certainly keep you updated. If it is a daylily or some other sort of flower, it may not bloom until spring? I really have an inkling it is not just grass because this property was established in 1901 and hearing from all the locals, the woman had flowers and gardens EVERYWHERE. Then she passed away and the property was left unattended for many many years. I am finding all sorts of great stuff there, bulbs and bushes and desirable trees of all sorts. Alot of which are old-fashioned like camellia sasanqua and grandfathers beard. Pecan trees, crape myrtles, roses everywhere, azaleas, plum trees, and a whole list of mystery plants I have not yet identified. I will keep you posted! Oh, and the most beautiful healthy oak-leaf hydrangea. I whacked it down to the ground 2 years ago when I wasnt living there yet and it is gorgeous and huge today. I could go on forever. I love my property, can you tell?

wingdesigner
Super Green Thumb
Posts: 2036
Joined: Thu Mar 10, 2005 4:58 pm
Location: Michigan--LP(troll)

A pix of the flower would help, but I'm leaning toward Lirope. If it flowers, send us a photo.

Happy Gardening,
Wingdesigner.

dinajean
Full Member
Posts: 18
Joined: Mon Dec 05, 2005 1:11 pm
Location: Pickens County, South Carolina

will definitely send a pix when and IF it flowers. Is lirope and old fashioned plant?

wingdesigner
Super Green Thumb
Posts: 2036
Joined: Thu Mar 10, 2005 4:58 pm
Location: Michigan--LP(troll)

Um, probably. I only started paying attention a few years ago when I was designing a yard for a friend and read through my entire catalogues instead of just the "good parts", looking for suitable plants. Some folks use Lirope as ground cover or a bordering plant--I think it can colonise or spread, but I'm not sure. Better let someone familiar with it take over from here.

Happy Gardening.

User avatar
Jess
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Posts: 1023
Joined: Mon Mar 19, 2007 7:50 pm
Location: England

It has been around for a long time Dina. Sounds like you have inherited a wonderful garden.
Here is some info on your possible Liriope;

https://www.bbc.co.uk/gardening/plants/plant_finder/plant_pages/493.shtml

oishii
Full Member
Posts: 13
Joined: Fri Jun 30, 2006 4:35 am

First, I must say.. Wow! Dina... sounds like you have moved into a gardener's paradise... Lovely... know you will enjoy.

... And, thanks Wingdesigner and Jess for the suggestion of liriope. The leaves in Dina's pictures do look very much like a plant that I have that I have been meaning to take a picture to post here and ask about. It fits the description of liriope (guess that's why I posted about the different ways in which the lily or the grass shoots up)...

It's interesting that the liriope is pegged as 'lilyturf'.. does seem to look like both a lily and a grass, and I have found that it shoots up like an ornamental grass with the first blades coming up lying flat against each other.

If it is the same thing I have in my garden, and I suspect it may be, here's my experience of it. I first saw this plant in Florida in public spaces such as malls used as a ground cover. I liked the look of it. Not sure how I ended up with some in NY, but I did... I planted it as a border and loved it for the first year, but then .. hmm.. it took over and now I am having a mini battle... Well, I ended up removing it from the garden beds where I had used it as a border and have isolated it to areas where it can spread freely. To be fair to the plant, I was off my feet for a little while so the garden had gone neglected, free to be *smile* for that time. Perhaps, if I had kept on top of things, this plant would not have taken over, but this has been my experience, that it can spread wildly.

The plant I have does have the hyacinth like blooms and is drought resistant. In fact, it seems to grow happily just about anywhere and doesn't require any care.

Again, would be very curious to see what your plant turns out to be. I will pull up one of the ones I have to see if it has the bulbs you mentioned.



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