LIRIOPE muscari 
"Majestic" 

JUST This is a very fine evergreen herbaceous perennial forming a compact plant that 
does not send out runners or otherwise spread beyond its allotted place in the garden. 
WHAT It grows 12 to 15 inches high, and has disease-proof foliage of the darkest green, grass- 
like in shape and about 14 inch in width. The whole plant presents a very graceful 
IS appearance. The very double blooms of the variety Majestic are produced in spikes 
that stand up well above the foliage. In color they are lilac-pink—a soft, lovely shade 
LIRIOPE that contrasts beautifully with the rich dark green leaves. Each plant makes a sturdy 
clump, and when used for edging, as shown in the photograph on the front of this 
MUSCARI folder, the row of plants makes a most pleasing effect. 
? There are several other species of Liriope 

some of them called Ophiopogon—but 
in our opinion Muscari is by far the most desirable. No doubt the name Muscari was 
given it because the flower resembles the Muscari or Grape Hyacinth. Liriope, of 
course, is a much larger plant, however, with more profuse bloom, and is a perennial 
instead of a bulbous plant. This species is absolutely first-rate when used as edging for 
a garden walk or bed. It does not send out runners and usurp the whole garden, as 
some other species do, nor does it become straggly and untidy-looking. The clumps 
grow quickly and are always neat and pleasing. 
A particular variety of Liriope muscari has lately become much sought after in the 
South. It has been found in many old Southern gardens, where it was called simply 
“Border Plant.”” Nurserymen have bought up many of these old plantings for further 
propagation, and the result is that this superb plant is finding its way from secluded old 
gardens of the past into the newest plantings of today. It has proved hardy both in 
the North and in the South. The illustrations here show the variety which we grow 
exclusively. We have named it Majestic, because we truly feel that it is the best one 
of all. 
A permanent edging plant is much to be preferred to either bricks or a trench as an 
edging for flower beds and borders. But next comes the question of finding exactly the 
right plant. Our long rambling borders may be in the sun, but sometimes they run into 
shady places. Generally speaking, plants that like sun refuse to grow well in the shade. 
Borders near large trees present another problem, for they often get ragged-looking in 
THE 
ANSWER 
TOA 
dener’s quest for an ideal edging plant. After growing stocks of it for many years I find 
established they prevent lawn grass from pushing into the flower beds beyond. And in 
GARDENER’S a location. 
Here is where Liriope Majestic comes in, for I believe it is the answer to the gar- 
PRAYER, < 
it can be used practically anywhere for edging. It has been successfully planted as 
close to trees as 6 inches, and either sun or shade suits it. After the plants are once 
“MAJESTIC” mowi 
mowing the grass, all you have to do is run the mower up close to the plants, and the 
job is done. 
[ither alone or combined with other blooms, Liriope Majestic makes lovely floral 
A arrangements. Its long stiff stems, which made the plant so distinctive outdoors and 
SUPERB raise the blooms well above the foliage, are just as useful when the flowers are arranged 
indoors. The stems may be pulled out from the crown of the plant without being cut. 
CUT- They slip out very easily and are several inches longer when picked in this way. The 
stems are covered with flowers for 6 or more inches of their length; the flat, full florets 
FLOWER sometimes spread out at the top like a miniature cockscomb. Plants grown in the shade 
bloom just as freely as those in the sun, and what is more—the flowers last ten days or 
more in the house. Here in Texas the blooming season begins in May and lasts about 
two months. In the North later bloom is to be expected. 
SHIPMENT BEGINS 
APRIL 15, 1945 
Stock is limited This Season 
ORDER EARLY 
19 PLANTS.... 9 620° 
95 PLANTS...° 10n0° 
100 PLANTS... ° 35-0? 
POSTPAID 
100 plants make a border 100 feet long 

Excerpt from The Houston Press, August 6, 1944 
By Mrs. R. C. Meysenburg, Horticultural Advisor, 
Southwest Region of the Garden Club of America 
Liriope Seems Answer to Gardener's Quest for 
Colorful and Easily Raised Border Plant 
Border’ plants are necessary to;pre- 
sent a neat and tidy appearance in a 
garden. If annuals are used for this 
purpose, then there is a constant re- 
planting, pulling out or trimming. 
What is pleasing for one reason will 
not be usable for the next. 
With the increasing problem of 
garden maintenance, every 
dener is searching for materials 
which require little care and which 
will grow and multiply year after 
year with profuse blooms and 
foliage. 
gar- 
The liriope seems an answer. This 
plant is classified as a genus of stemless 
smooth evergreen perennial herbs of 
the lily family. The foliage is grass- 
like but a trifle broader than a grass 
leaf, and the clumps grow rapidly with 
a thickened basal effect. As a clump 
matures, root division will increase the 
number of plants. If one is not im- 
patient, one clump will give in a few 
years a large number of plants for a 
border. 
These plants flowering in late sum- 
mer and fall with deep lilac or purple 
flowers, produce spikes similar to grape 
hyacinths. The flowers are very double 
on the spikes, thus giving a pronounced 
color effect. Following the flowering 
season, small purplish berries are de- 
veloped and are almost as attractive as 
the flowers. The color of both blossoms 
and berries is enhanced by the profuse 
foliage. 
This plant will grow in sun or 
shade and is indifferent to the soil, 
with perhaps a preference for acid 
soil. Planted as a border for an 
azalea bed, the plants will show 
| their approval with rapid growth 
' and luscious foliage and flowers. 

Liriope is closely related to the 
lily-turf or ophiopogon but the blos- 
soms are far superior in both number of 
| spikes and thickness of the florets on 
the spikes. When a gardener learns of 
the many good qualities of the lirope, 
this plant will soon become a favorite 
and a ‘‘must” in every well-groomed 
garden. When a plant can be said to 
grow in sun or shade, indifferent to soil 
conditions, disregard drought or flood, 
and then be prolific with blooms and 
foliage—can there be any more good 
characteristics named? Liriope has a 
claim to all these. 

THE RUSSELL STRAIN 
A human-interest story lies behind the introduction of this special variety of Liriope 
muscari. Back in 1934 I was making one of my regular expeditions around the country- 
side in search of old plants that deserved to be brought again to the attention of modern 
gardeners. I was discussing the merits of Liriope with an old nurseryman whom I hed 
known for years in Georgia. He told me that he knew of a variety growing in a certain 
old garden that he would like me to see. It was something different from anything 
he had seen before, and he felt sure it was a sport. Right away we drove over to look 
at his “find,” and I knew immediately that it was something I simply had to have. 
Its bloom was lighter in color and more profuse, and the stem longer than any I had 
seen. The old lady who owned the garden told me that she had found a single clump 
in her old border. It had been there for many years when she decided to lift it, separate 
it, and start a new bed. Well, I’ve seen plenty of people watch a new oil-well being 
drilled on their property here in Texas, but I doubt whether any of them got more ofa 
thrill than I did when this good lady told me she wanted me to have her p’ants! She 
sold me the whole bed outright, saying she wanted this lovely Liriope to be grown for 
the market and hoped I would make some money from it. Well, I have. I have now 
grown this variety for several years; wherever the plants have been sent for trial—and 
this includes many different parts of the country—they have brought forth favorable 
reports. They have proved themselves hardy everywhere. 
Think of having an evergreen edging plant that reaches only 12 to 15 inches in 
height, resists all diseases, grows in either acid or lime soil, in full sun or very dense 
shade, and stays uniform in growth! Liriope Majestic is just such a plant; it grows into 
a beautiful compact clump that does not have to be transplanted for many years. I 
never saw a garden subject that could take so much punishment as the plants we have 
sent out for trial in many different parts of the country the past several years. They 
have held up perfectly through the droughts and hot winds of Oklahoma, the wet 
seasons of the Gulf coast, and the hard freezes of the northern and eastern states. Of 
course this plant, like any other, will repay you many times over for any extra care you 
may give it, but it will grow even when neglected. We positively guarantee that every 
plant we send out will do all we claim for it, and will thrive in your garden regardless 
of the soil and exposure. 
Liriope can safely be planted at any time of the year, summer or winter, without 
any danger of losing the plants. Since they are herbaceous evergreen perennials, they 
have fleshy tuberous roots, and may even be dug and left out of the ground several 
days before being transplanted without being harmed. 
A good time to set them out is between April and September. This gives them a 
chance to become established before winter sets in. Usually they bloom the first season 
but about a year’s growth is needed before the plants bloom abundantly. From then 
on, you can expect more and more flowers every season. 
In planting a border, space the plants about a foot apart. Heavy divisions of uni- 
form size should be chosen, with about half the foliage trimmed off. Plants of varying 
size will, of course, produce an irregular border. Remember that it takes the plants a 
little while to become established. Sometimes several weeks are needed before you will 
notice new growth starting from the top. 
After a few years I find it advisable to cut the entire plant back in early spring be- 
fore the new foliage begins to grow. By trimming it back to a few inches from the 
ground, new evergreen leaves are encouraged to grow. Usually the plants will be in 
full foliage again in three or four weeks. 

ORIGIN 
OF 
LIRIOPE 
“RUSSELL’S 
MAJESTIC” 
SUN 
OR 
SHADE, 
ACID OR 
LIME SOIL 
WHEN AND 
HOW TO 
PLANT 

Russell Gardens ® Sparing, Texas 
