When to Cut Back Liriope in Zone 7

USDA Plant Hardiness Zone 7

• USDA plant hardiness zones are based on the average annual minimum temperatures and divide the country into 13 zones, each with a 10-degree temperature range. Zone 7 has minimum temperatures between zero and 5 degrees Fahrenheit for zone 7a and from 5 to 10 degrees for zone 7b. Geographically, zone 7 primarily falls across the upper South and the lower Midwest and Northeast and is the primary zone in Oklahoma, Tennessee, Virginia, Maryland and Delaware, but it can grow in any area that has winter temperatures within its range.

When to Prune in Zone 7

• Liriope is evergreen in USDA zone 7 but can look tattered and bedraggled at the tips by the end of winter. New growth naturally pushes out in spring. Pruning from mid-February through the beginning of March gets the old growth out of the way before the fresh new tips push up from the root mass.

Pruning Process

• Most liriopes grow from 10 to 18 inches tall and can spread 18 inches wide. The foliage of the plants resembles grass but is much thicker. Pruning is nonselective, meaning the whole plant should be cut back to within 3 or 4 inches of the ground. You can use a lawn mower, adjusted to cut at its highest setting, and run it right across the plants. Ensure that the blade is sharp, or cuts can be ragged and the foliage can turn brown at the cuts. A string trimmer or hedge shears work well if you don't want to use the mower.

Considerations

• When weather or just life keeps you from getting to your liriope before new shoots emerge, you can still prune. Look inside the plant, and check the height of the shoots. Cut them off with sterilized pruning shears that are sharp enough to cut through the thick clumps of foliage, just above the new shoots to avoid damaging the tips. Rake up the old foliage, and dispose of it in your compost pile.