Liriope Purple Explosion
* Common name: Lilyturf Purple Explosion 
* Botanical name: Liriope muscari ‘EXC 051’
* What it is: Liriope has long been a garden workhorse – a durable, versatile, grassy-looking perennial that does sun or shade, poor soil, and even the dry shade and root competition under big trees. It’s always been a little weak in the bloom department with just a smattering of spiky purple flowers for a few weeks in late summer. Purple Explosion kicks up the bloom by sending up many more flowers of darker purple over a much longer period – from late June through summer.
* Size: Foliage grows 10 to 12 inches tall with flower spikes that reach up to 15 to 18 inches. Plant 18 inches apart.
* Where to use: One of those rare plants that will tolerate just about any site, although Purple Explosion flowers best in full sun. Use it as an edging along walks and driveways or as a sunny to partly shaded groundcover. This one blooms well enough to earn a place in perennial gardens and foundations, too.
* Care: The foliage stays green through most winters, but then it needs to be cut back to a 1-inch stub before the next season’s new growth emerges in April. A weed-whacker is fine. If you don’t cut it, it’ll brown later and be much harder to remove with the new green foliage in the way. Needs only occasional watering in the worst dry spells and little, if any, fertilizer. This variety expands slowly from around the clump; no invasive runners. If it spreads beyond where you want, dig up clumps and replant divided sections or simply shovel out unwanted growth from the perimeter. Early spring is best time for dividing.
* Great partner: Contrasts nicely with the wide leaves of hosta, coralbells or brunnera in shadier settings. The strappy, bladed leaves pair well with rounded shrubs, such as boxwoods, hydrangeas and spirea.
My bed of Big Blue liriope planted two years ago appears to be dying of crown rot. I started with 130 plants and have lost a third so far. The dead and dying are in one area but I guess I should expect to lose all of them? Or can I fill in with the Purple Explosion liriope?
Thanks for any and all gardening advice.
Carolyn,
The ridiculous amount of rain is likely behind the liriope die-off. That’s generally a tough plant, but crown rot in wet soil is one thing that can get it. The surviving plants aren’t doomed. With some drier, sunnier weather and a normal season (whatever that is anymore), your liriope patch could start to fill back in. You could help things along by dividing and transplanting clumps from the survivors.
I’d wait to see how things shake out next spring before replacing. Purple Explosion is a superior bloomer in liriope, but given the unrelenting rain we’ve had this season, it could suffer the same crown-rot fate as ‘Big Blue.’
If you can’t fill in the lost plantings with divisions from survivor ‘Big Blues,’ I’d lean toward Purple Explosion is you have to buy new. But then I’d group all of those together since they’ll look a bit different and would stand out if blended in with ‘Big Blue.’
Hi, I live on the Oregon coast and plan on planting 25 of the purple explosions. Is it too late to plant them this year? Can you recommend a source, I haven’t been able to find a seller in my area (Eugene).
Thanks
Ed Walling
Florence, OR
Ed,
I think late summer should be fine to plant liriope in your climate. Overdevest Nurseries in New Jersey is a main supplier of Purple Explosion in the East, but they’re wholesale and grow for retail garden centers. I’m not familiar with West Coast growers. I would think a local independent garden center ought to be able to track down this variety… and maybe begin to carry it if people ask for it.
Hello,
I’m working toward a meadow look. I’m in 97224, Oregon with clay, south exposure. Currently coreopsis has planted itself around (near stepping stones). I like the bright green foliage all year and all plants don’t have flowers, a good thing because it might be a bit much.
I’d like to replace coreopsis with a grass or Liriope and am considering Carex Flacco Blue Zinger or Liriope muscari ————-?
Thank you for your suggestions.
Rita
Rita,
I like both liriope and carex in general but am not familiar enough with your climate to know how they do and compare out there. Liriope isn’t native (if that’s important) but some varieties of carex are (although different ones prefer different amounts of light in our Pennsylvania climate).
Here’s a link to a column I wrote a few years ago on planting a meadow, including some of the best grasses and perennials: https://www.pennlive.com/gardening/2015/09/turn_lawn_into_meadow_gardens.html
It’s geared toward Pennsylvania plants, but I suspect most of them would do well in Oregon. I’d check with your local county Extension office to get the best and most localized recommendations for specific plants in your area. Plant success varies a lot from region to region.