CLOSED: HAVE: Ribbon Grass, WANT: Liriope, Lamium, Daylily, Grasses

Hi! I have Ribbon Grass for trade.

It is a perennial grass that is hardy from Zone 4-9. Height is 2'-4'. The picture I've provided is of it coming up in the spring. It's an old picture. It's just coming up now and will be smaller than the picture when you get it. You will probably get more roots than grass. (but that's good.) It gets taller through the summer & stays green & white. In the winter it turns straw colored and wilts down. You can either cut in back in the late fall or leave it be. It grows in zone 5 in shade, semi-shade & sun. It can be grown in clay or loamy soil and it also tolerates wet or dry soil. It is best to transplant it now, before it gets too hot. If you plant it after the temps heat up - it will live, but it will take most of the summer to really get going. It is a cool season grass, which I assume means it grows fastest in the spring. It dies back in the winter and will poke up in the spring through all the dried grass from the season before. All the plant descriptions I've read say it can become invasive, but I have it planted in thick clay soil and in loamy moist soil - in the shade and in semi-shade - and it behaves well for me. Its easy to contain each spring if a few springs wander close by - just dig out what you don't want (and trade it LOL). It's never traveled for me more than the clump getting larger. Last year I planted a few springs of it in pots with my annuals and it looked great! Cheaper than spikes! I expected it would die over the winter in the pots, but it came back, I was so surprised! Above the freeze line??? Its a good plant for a fill-in area that you can't get anything else to grow in. This year, I'm planting it in some pots all by itself!

I'd like Liriope spicata (that is hardy in zone 5), Lamium, Daylilies, Chyrsanthemums, or other Ornamental Grasses that will do well in zone 5, or anything that likes dry or moist shade or semi-shade. (I've got both!!) Oh, what the heck - just tempt me!! I don't need sedum, coral bells, or ajuga though - I'm kinda up to my neck in those! Thanks so much!


This message was edited Apr 20, 2007 7:07 PM

This message was edited Apr 20, 2007 7:15 PM

This message was edited Apr 21, 2007 6:21 AM

I have 10 or 11 different lamiums. How many do you want? I'd be glad to trade for some ribbon grass. My lists are on the old computer and I have to have one of the DS's install it in this new computer so I can access all my plant stuff. I'll try to go around the yard in my head -
Beacon Silver - excellent grower, not invasive, close to top of the list
Aureum my favourite - only light green, mounding
Golden Anniversary - struggling in z4
White Nancy - medium grower, nice
Yellow Archangel -can be invasive, larger leaves
Red Nancy - faster spreader than White N., not invasive
Chequers - excellent grower, not invasive, close to top of the list
Pink Pewter - medium grower, needs to be moved, too wet where I have it
Hermann's Pride? (going blank on the name) - slow grower, mounding
Anne Greenway - struggling (too wet maybe)

That's ten so maybe that's it. I've shared lots of them and just root them in water and they take off.
Laura
P.S.I believe they're all in PF so you can look them up for bloom, type and leaf colour, etc.

Wow! Never expected to be offered such a smorgusboard!! Thanks so much!!!

I have Silver Beacon and Golden Anniversary - I planted them last year and was so pleased with them, that I wanted more. Hmmm, since Aureum is your fav, I'd like one of those. And, Yellow Archangel and Chequers would be nice too if you have enough of them. I can send you a nice sized clump of ribbon grass in exchange for a few starts of the lamium. I didn't know you could start lamium in water. I'm heading out to my lamium right after this, so I can try it! Any special instructions?

Nothing special. Strip off the leaves that will be in water. They root very quickly. ...Know what I saw last year? The garden centers were using Yellow Archangel as a trailer in flower baskets. I thought it was pretty!

Everything got knocked back with the deep freeze we had two weeks ago so I'll get them as soon as possible.

OOOOO - in baskets! Never thought of that. Sounds great! I will get the ribbon grass to you this week. I like to mail on Monday or Tuesday's because there's less chance of the plants being stuck in the post office over the weekend. It's supposed to get colder here later in the week, back to the low 40s. If it does in Iowa as well, I don't think it will hurt the ribbon grass. Especially considering its coming up in the pots that I planted it in last year. If it can survive that - it should be able to travel even if it gets cold again. I traded some last year and everyone said it wasn't wilted at all when in arrived. Thanks again! I hope you enjoy it. It might be good in that wet spot.

Do be careful where you put Yellow Archangel. I have it under a large fir tree and it can't go anywhere except there. I just whack off hunks with a hoe as I walk by if I notice some getting too far away. I'll go take a stroll outside now and see if there's some nice ends to pick. It's been over a week since the snow melted so I may find some.

I actually have a 40 ft blue spruce that my husband wacked the bottom branches off of that has a border around it. It will probably put it there. Unfortunately, the bottom branches started to die out and since he cut them almost 5 ft up - the tree looks a little goofy. (ya, I wasn't pleased). But, he planted the tree when he was in kindergarten (he grew it from seed) and has a sentimental attachment to it - so for now, I will try to make the area under it look nice. I have hostas and cora belles and huechera planted under it now, but it could use something else. Actually, I have pine trees and other trees and bushes that line my whole back yard making a screen that nothing wants to grow under except weeds and small tufts of grass that make mowing difficult. Last year I mulched and put all kinds of shade loving plants under them to connect all the trees together so there wouldn't be so much in and out mowing. It really helped. Now, we just mow in front and back of them. By the way, he trimmed those too. For some reason, after they get so old, they start to thin out at the bottom. I'm not sure why.

There's hostas under this tree too and they're getting moved this spring. They've been there 3 years and are still puny and they're supposed to be 4 to 6 footers. The lamiums are all doing well there. I'm guessing the tree is not sharing with the hostas. I think I'll move the lamiums that are in the wetter, totally shaded bed to the tree bed. They should do better there. I've got some new heucheras coming from a coop so they can fill in that area. I just went for a walk about and it'll be a bit for the frostbit ones to grow out again. I'll send a small plant of 'Chequers' because it reseeds somewhat and I saw a few babies that I can dig out.

Cutting bottom branches seems to be a man thing here too. DH did it to two trees so far and I'm guessing that this summer he might trim the whole row on the NW side of our lot. I think there's 6 blue spruce there. Gives me more room to plant, right? :) They're starting to touch so I'd like to get rid of all the grass around them and put woodchips around and connecting them all - like you were talking abt.

Oh, why don't you wait until they are ready. I don't mind waiting.

I just want to send yours out because its small yet and will travel and transplant best. My hostas seemed to do ok under the trees, but this year will be the true test - so far they are poking up. I watered the begeezers out of everything I planted under the trees last summer because it was so much work connecting the whole back and side rows together - it took me a month or more - that I was afraid they'd die and all my work would have been in vain. So many trees roots to try to plant through or around! I wish I would have had the money to bring in loads of topsoil, but I didn't. I was able to put a small amount of mulch on the area last year, but this year plan to add more. I think you will like it if you do it. I have the same - about 6 pine trees and other bushes planted inbetween them for the back yard line and the side yard line, about a 35 foot shady tree & bush lined area next to a wood fence. The side yard line is where I have the ribbon grass, but I'm going to try it in the back line as well this year. I just added a pic and realized the ribbon grass now, is about that size now. (the date is wrong on the pic - I finally changed that today on my camera!). If you look at the pic, I extended the garden area all the way down the fence and incorporated the rest of the bushes and trees. It doesn't look far in the picture - but it was a lot of digging. The last tree, now has the ribbon grass growing around it. If you want, I'll send you a pic of the back row. I planted the tall rounded sedums, heuchera, cora belles, ferns, hostas, sweet william, lilies, and then put pots of impatiens around the area for some heigth and color.

I have the green liriope that has purple flowers in late summer. It is a great ground over. It is rare for a weed to come up in the liriope. In the late fall or early spring I just mow it down. Just like the ribbon grass, it is not coming up yet, but this is the best time to send and plant it. If you are interested, let me know. I could send you a large clump.

If you do not have enough of the ribbon grass, I am a heuchera nut, so I would also consider one that I do not have yet.

Hi RatherBDigging:

Yes, I'd love some Liriope. Could you send me a Dmail with your address? Thanks so much!

I have lots of lirope that can be moved at any time, will trade for ribbon grass

Hi Jackieshar,

That'd be great! Send me your address through D-mail and I will get them out to you this week. I'll send you my address as well.

Thanks!

If you are interested in more liriope, I have the plain green type. I also have lamium (I don't know the variety) and plain green ajuga which makes a great ground cover.

Hello Happy_McComb,

Sure, I'd love some more liriope. I have quite a bit of ajuga, so I don't need that.
I'm going to try to get it out today, but will let you know for sure.

Thanks!
Mary

Just wondering, did you get the lamium and did they grow alright for you?