Evergreen perennialFoundation plantingGroundcoverShade gardenDeer resistant

Mondo Grass

Ophiopogon japonicus

A fine, grass-like evergreen that spreads into a soft, dark green carpet in shade, ideal under trees where little else grows, along paths and as a lawn substitute in shady spots. It takes salt, deer and light traffic. Give it shade inland; it takes full sun only near the coast or with steady moisture.

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Mondo Grass: whole plant — Photo: Alpsdake, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Mature size: 10 in × 1 ft; 0.3 × 0.3 m, tall × wide
Hardiness: Zones 6a–10b; USDA
Sun: Part sun to part shade
Water: Medium
Blooms: Jul–Aug

Mondo Grass at its mature size

A mature Mondo Grass grows to about 10 in tall and 1 ft wide.

Drawn to scale beside a 5 ft 9 in person. With VeraScape, you see it at this size in your own yard.

Typical mature size, unpruned. Sources: NC State Extension, The Tree Center, San Marcos Growers.

Through the year

What Mondo Grass looks like month by month in a typical zone 6–7 garden.

In leaf · Year-round

Very narrow dark green arching grass-like leaves.

Photos

Mondo Grass: detail — Detail · Alpsdake, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Growing Mondo Grass

Grows well in: The Southeast, the Plains and Mountain West, and California.
Growth rate: Medium
Good for: Foundation planting, groundcover, shade garden, and deer resistant
Leaves: Evergreen
Native to: Japan, China, and Korea

Spacing

VeraScape spaces plants so their grown canopies just touch. For Mondo Grass, that’s about 1 ft apart, center to center.

Place a row in your own yard and VeraScape spaces them at their mature width, so you can see whether they’ll crowd the walk.