A member, interestingly, of the lily family, mondo grass is--as its scientific name Ophiopogon japonicus indicates--native to Japan but hardy and increasingly popular elsewhere, certainly in Australia and the United States. As its common name indicates, however, it looks more like a grass than a flower. Reaching from eight to 18 inches tall, the arching half-inch leaves (blades) of the mondo grasses are dark green, though some cultivars are variegated.

Flowers bloom from late June to and sometimes through September and are white or white touched with lavender. They are small and often hidden by leaf growth. Often confused with liriope (Liriope muscare), mondo grass produces blue rather than black fruit and has narrower leaves. It is also more sensitive to cold. The most common problem to mondo grasses is a fungal infection--athracnose--which is fairly easily treated by removing the infected leaves and spraying the entire plant with a fungicide.

Ideal conditions include moist soil and semi-shade, but mondo grasses are hardy enough and endure more direct light. Leaves are dark when grown in full shade and paler or variegated when grown in filtered light or partial shade. Mondos do especially well as ground cover and under trees and shrubs. They are attractive as a border plant, between flagstones, around ponds, along streams, and in rock gardens.

Mondo Grass Kith and Kin

Two dwarf mondos, Kioto and Nippon, grow to only about four inches tall, producing tiny white flowers in summer. Gyoko-ru is even smaller than Nippon and grows more densely. Caeruleus produces purple flowers. Black mondo grass, developed in England, grows to about six inches and has dark purple leaves. Variegatus and Vittatus have cream or white and green striped leaves. Ophiopogon jaburan has coarse rather than fine leaves and pale lavender flowers.