Need Help Identifying an existing ground cover

I am helping my boss with a landscaping project and need a little assistance. He has a very formal landscape that was put in before he bought his house probably 10 years ago or longer. Lots of boxwoods in groups of three that line a very long pathway to the house. Hot afternoon sun. Underneath a crepe myrtle behind the boxwoods and around some other bushes is what he describes as a non-blooming ground cover that has been very hard to remove. He pulled up one of the plants and brought it to me and it looks very much like a daylily plant - tuberous roots with a sword shaped fan on top of them. They don't appear to clump like daylilies but other than that the plant itself is very similiar. I would like to identify the plant so I'll know whether I want to keep some or dispose of it all. Here's the best shot of it he brought me the left side is lirope and the ground cover is the small very green stuff coming up to the left. Thanks for your help.

I am afraid you may have a hard time getting an ID with the above picture...from it that could be any number of plants as it all just looks green. Perhaps your boss could take a clear closeup of the plant, or you could dig one up and photograph it since you may be removing some of it anyway.

From your description I was going to guess Liriope, but since you say you already have some of that I guess that's probably not it. You will have much better luck getting an ID if you can get a focused closeup of the plant in question. If you can get a better picture, I'd also suggest posting in the Plant Identification forum--there are a lot of experts there who may not watch this forum so you'll probably get a faster answer there. http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/f/plantid/all/

OK here are some closeups of the plant

I think it w3ill be easier to bring some samples to a local nursery. the picture is blurry so if you can post a better picture I am sure some one can identify it.
Belle

Are you sure that's not a wild daylily -- normally known as "Ditch Lilies (sp?)." Here in Iowa those lilies do exactly as you describe -- they walk around and naturalize (can be invasive), rather than clumping like our well-behaved hybrids. I don't have any pics, but you can easily google them, I'm sure. Have you ever seen them bloom?

Dax

Kj..Those are definately Hemerocalis (daylily). If those are species type they will multiply by runners. The plant most often referred to as "ditch runners" are the orange daylily. It's botanical name is Hemerocalis fulva. The other hem. that is a runner variety is hem. flava which is lemon yellow and extremly fragrant., this variety is among my all time favorites. These are the two that all modern daylilies get their heritage from. Most of the modern types of daylilies don't run and are rather clumpers, some more aggresive than others. Alot of people think kwansa is the ditch lily, but the true ditch lily is fulva and usually a straight orange. The main thing to look for is a root running to the side of the plant to the next plant and still connected. Hope that helps. Only true way to find out is to check for the side root and color in the spring. If wanting to get rid of them, many here on dave's would love them and probably pay for shipping. Most of us gardeners just hate to hear about plants being thrown away. Also there are many nursing homes that would love to have plants donated. My garden club has adopted an adult day care center where we donate plants and even have a group of volunteers to help maintain them. One year I had so many extra plants I donated and planted them for a nursing home 70 miles from my home. I hate to say I still have not been back there to see how they are doing but I hope they still exist, lol. Another place to donate plants would be a local church for planting around their grounds. So if you don't or your boss doesn't want them any more think about donating them. Kathy.

Well he swears they don't bloom EVER and surely he'd notice a big ole orange daylily. He says they get about 12 inches high by the end of summer- I have the species kind in my yard but mine do grow a little more in clumps than these. He said they dug out another patch of them that was even bigger than this one and they just kept coming back until they finally got them all which certainly sounds like a species daylily. I guess they could be so packed in they don't bloom but it seems like if they are digging up these and then more are coming up the next year they would surely have enough room to bloom. I'm thinking about potting this one up on the back porch just to see what happens:) They are definitely getting rid of them all and that was why I wanted to figure out what they are so I could try to give them away.

I just thought maybe there was some groundcover I had never heard of not that I am a groundcover expert by any means

Thanks for the help!

The reason for lack of bloom might they not be getting enough light? ( I see shade in the pix) Still think about having him donate them to a nusing home or such.

They look like the day lilies that grow wild around here. the ones that crow on the edge og the woods never flower.

I agree looks like daylilies. Whatever it is though, it's a plant that would bloom given the right conditions, so you can't rule out a potential ID based on the fact that it hasn't bloomed, if it hasn't flowered then there's something not right in the conditions it's being grown in which is causing it to not bloom.

Lack of light, overcrowding, UN-fed, no water etc, etc could all contribute to lack of flowering, the green looks healthy, the bulbs look plump and in good condition so why not stick a few into pots, give light, warmth and water and see if they flower.
I always hate to see good plants thrown out because they have not done what they are supposed to do but we, the gardeners have to help nature along also, these plants were probably never meant to grow in the area they are in, so moving them to a more richer soil, more sunlight and fresh feed would be a good start in my opinion.
Hope you hit the right note and the problems are soon resolved. good luck. WeeNel.