Sunday, March 3, 2013

Want a stunning groundcover? It’s a Breeze!

Lomandra longifolia, otherwise known as Breeze grass is quickly becoming my new favorite plant!

Lomandra_Lime_Wave Lomandra longifolia ‘Lime Wave’

This plant is tough and looks beautiful all year long due to its fine texture and evergreen habit.  It blooms small flowers in Spring.

lomandra

This little beauty hails from down under, Australia, and is an extremely versatile plant, growing in both sandy and wet soil conditions!  Once established, it tolerates drought beautifully! 

lomandrapot

Growing best in full sun to part shade, Breeze grass offers a great alternative to shrubs and ground covers.  It has a medium growth rate and grows 2 to 3-feet tall x 2-feet wide.   Breeze grass grows in US hardiness zones 7 through  11 and once established, requires very little care!  Sorry yankees – this plant likes it in the warmer plant zones. 

Lomandra_Tankika2
You know a plant is tough when it  can hold up in seriously hot, windy and dry conditions such as a traffic island!

Not only will it look good en masse, but I also envision it as beautiful solitary specimans, in pots, or as excellent border plants.  Deer tolerant, Breeze grass is an extremely low maintenance plant.  Who could ask for anything more? 

lom_hys 

This is definitely a plant US Southern gardeners will be seeing a lot more of!  Enjoy! 
It’s my new favorite!  What’s yours?





9 comments:

  1. Same as yours - Lomandra longifolia! A fellow designer introduced me to it two years ago and I love it. Evergreen, not too big, very tolerant (can handle sun and part shade here in Northern California and seems to be doing fine in clay soil).

    Great recommendation

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  2. Zone 7b in Atlanta clay? I really like it an urn.

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  3. Ooooo. I Like! Subtropics? I planted 16 Muhly grasses this past summer in our front. Not sure how much I am loving them. I'll keep my eyes peeled for this!

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  4. I love how they look en masse.

    Happy Weekend!

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  5. Terry - from what I have read, YES, these plants will grow in Georgia clay.

    Linda- While the Muhly grass is perennial or seasonal, Breeze grass is evergreen. Imagine what this plant would like like combined with tropicals such as Hummingbird plant or even blackberry lilies?

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  6. Well Pam, we are currently looking at nothing better than the white stuff right now in Canada's capital, but .... you are helping me dream of better, sunnier days to come and reminding me to start my garden planning for the spring!

    Thanks for your comments on my photos - it seems that I'm taken with garden photography - I love that the subjects are so cooperative :)!

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  7. Hey Pam,

    My name is Sam McCoy. I represent the Australian company that bred and introduced Lomandra Breeze and several other Lomandra selections.

    Just a couple of general points about L. Breeze:

    Very shade tolerant: A couple of years ago the Univ. of Florida did a shade tolerance trial on Breeze. They noted that the plants in 80% shade look just as good as those in full sun. The habit was a bit more weeping but the plants still looked great (a deeper green color too!)

    Cold hardy: I live in Charleston SC, we hit 16 degrees in January and almost all of the plants around town didn't miss a beat...still green! However, we have also noted that young landscapes (plants that are only in their first year in the landscape let's say) might take a hit thier first winter, but after that they seem to do fine. We actually work with several nurseries that have been selling Breeze into the Atanta area for over 5 years so I think it does fine there.

    Deer tolerant

    Drought tolerant for sure! Basically, once the plants are established they can survive on natural rainfall in most climates (short of desert areas). In fact, giving these plants the same amount of irrigation that you would, say, other ornamental grasses can actually hurt this plant.

    If you want more info on these plants you can find it at www.celebratedplants.com. I also give free samples to landscape professionals so you can try them out before you use them in your designs. If you or any of your followers are interested please let me know.

    Thanks,
    Sam McCoy -US Agent Ozbreed Pty Ltd
    smccoy@ozbreed.com

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  8. My son who is in the landscape and maintenance business recommended the Lomantra Breeze for the front of my house that he is relandscapeing. He told me to check it out on the internet. Looks like a winner to me. He is currently doing a landscape job at a golf community. He ordered plants and couldn't get what he wanted because of the freeze we had this year in Lakeland, Florida. The nursery recommended the Breeze. He was so impressed with the looks of it, he called me and told me to check it out. I'll let you know how it looks when he's finished. Sincerely, Arlene in Lakeland.

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