How do I plant monkey grass around a tree? Should it be snug around tree base or inches away from tree base?

Depends on what kind of monkey grass you are planting and how much of a "spread" look you want

Leave room for the tree to grow and room for the grass. It's a matter of the Ring look you want

For instance if you are planting lilirope and want to save on buying more to fill in they can be split with a shovel and more plantings. They are just like a hosta in dividing. So leave room for next years dividing or buy fuller plant and split right off the bat

Good information 2lboat, but the leaves of monkey grass are narrower then liilrope, not exactly the same plant, but similar.

I would say though, it doesn't matter how close or how far away the monkey grass is planted, it will spread quite quickly and will have to be controlled if OP doesn't want it too close to the tree, but doesn't matter, it can't compete with the tree and will look quite lovely close up.

Tick

Hi tickel. I looked up "monkey grass" and it can be many different plants. I never heard of it called that before.
This is what I went by and it is lilirope according to this site?

Monkey grass has many common names including lily turf, liriope, mondo grass, and snakesbeard. There are many varieties of monkey grass, all of which belong to one of two genuses—Liriope or Ophiopogon

Monkey Grass: A Spectacular Groundcover for the Lawn

I'm only a par time grower and sell on weekends, wholesale plants and shrubs, buy through auctions also.

But never heard it called monkey grass

I prefer the liriope because of how nicely ithe plant spreads and droops over and in the middle it get shoots with baby looking blue berry clusters. Also its an everygreen for the winter and doesn't spread like others do.

Hi 21, I pefer periwinkle with the lovely blue flowers. Green, also in the winter and you can really tell by the plant how hard the winter has been because some will be quite burnt looking in the spring. I love how you can just pull out a clump and stick it in the ground, some water, and it starts growing !

Thanks for your expertise on the 'monkey grass'. I am going to look for it at our garden center come planting time in May.

Best regards

Tick

Hi tickel I sell the lilirope it comes variegated also. Its so tough you can divided one full plant into 8 pieces and with watering 2/3years later a full plant.

Here is another cool plant I ran into and sold as a trophy piece. It can be trained and handles trimming well. Gets about 8 feet in perfect conditions.

It's a false bamboo and the name scares people at the public auction and I buy a lot of plantings cheap because of it.

I see you are in Canada and don't know how cold it gets for you but the heavenly bamboo is good to -10 degrees and its not an aggressive in spreading at all. Its also an evergreen.

Heavenly Bamboo, (Nandina domestica),

How to Grow and Care for Heavenly Bamboo, Nandina domestica

You may know or do this. If I have a planting for outside but it can't handle the cold winter I do Pot in pot. Dig out where you want to plant. I plant the pot right in the ground or another bigger pot put in ground now put smaller plant pot in that use a bit of potting soil around the pot to pot and re mulch. When winter comes I simply pull it put take inside and next year I know exactly where to quick replant/set.

21, we have really lovely summers here on the northshore of Lake Ontario in Ontario, Canada, so our growing season is phenominal. I noticed in the last three years, nurseries offering different kinds of ornamental grasses, but not all say they ARE NOT HARDY over winter. However, they are so attractive and if I want them, I Google them to find out if they winter okay.

Will keep your bamboo in mind and it is just so nice to hear from someone in the know about perrenials. I plant all perrenials, my favourite are Hostas (but not the long flowers out of them).

I have a pretty good supply of compost, keep feeding it all year long, in fact so much I never know where to put I first !

Nice hearing from you.

Tick

If you like hostas and I do check this out

I found a supplier that has untold varieties of hostas to buy off. I purchased some from this nursery and the delivery was quick and good stock.

Check out the varieties.6,200+ hosta varieties - search by 70 hosta characteristics

Buy Hostas & Hosta Plants Online at HostasDirect | Low Prices!

YouTube - Hostas: Sun & Slopes (HostasDirect, Inc.)

I plant only pernials also. Live in the best dirt in the world here.

I have planted monkey grass several times, and I can kill a artificial plant. This stuff just grows and grows and grows,

The question will soon be, how to dig some up to transplant it somewhere else

On a side note: don't buy any lyme grass. Its so aggressive and I feel 10 times worse than bamboo. I bought some years ago and it just beautiful. Then trouble, looked it up and then ouch!!

They still sell it at nursery but it becoming illegal in certain states for good reasons. The invasive grass is native to the sandy coasts of Europe and was brought here to stop beach and shore erosion. Well again man screwed up. I had to use the backhoe to dig out after a couple of years of growing on a big bank. The travelers go so far so quick in one year shoots pop up 2 feet away from the base plant, Never saw anything do or grow how this takes off.

http://www.northcreeknurseries.com/_...s/DETA-370.jpg

Invasive Plants of Wisconsin: Leymus arenarius, lyme grass

Lyme grass, a new plant 'invader,' could take over dunes - Muskegon News - The Latest News, Blogs, Photos & Videos – MLive.com