Snake beard ∗ The 10 best planting and care tips

Characteristics

• Scientific name: Ophiopogon planiscapus
• Family: Asparagus family (Asparagaceae)
• Origin: Asia
• Growth type: perennial
• Growth habit: loosely bred, covering the ground
• Growth height: 10 cm to 20 cm
• Leaves: grassy, ​​evergreen
• Flowers: racemose, bell-shaped
• Fruit: berry
• Toxicity: slightly toxic
• Hardiness: hardy
• Use: ground cover, underplanting, edging

growth

snake beard is an Asian perennial with the appearance of ornamental grass. Botanically, Ophiopogon planiscapus belongs to the asparagus family (Asparagaceae) and is distantly related to lily of the valley (Convallaria majalis) or elephant's foot (Beaucarnea). The hallmark of the Japanese ornamental plant is extravagant growth with these properties:

• growth type: evergreen perennial with an ornamental grass look, bell-shaped flowers in summer, blue-black berries in autumn.
• growth habit: upright, arching, overhanging, loose-bushy, cushion-forming.
• growth height: 10 cm to 20 cm, rarely to 30 cm.
• growth width: 20 cm to 30 cm, rarely up to 100 cm.
• root: short, thickened rhizomes with runners.
• Horticulturally interesting properties: easy to care for, hardy, tolerates shade, hardy to cut, sensitive to lime, ground covering, slightly poisonous fruits, beautiful bedding and pot plant.

Sheet

Decorative leaves with these characteristics sprout all year round directly from the thickened rootstock:

• leaf shape: lanceolate with rounded tip, entire.
• leaf color: dark green (original species), dark purple to black or green-yellow striped (cultivars).
• sheet length: 20 cm to 40 cm, occasionally up to 65 cm.
• sheet width: 0.7 cm to 1.5 cm, rarely to 2 cm.

This is what Black-Leaf Snake Beard looks like

blossom

By the beginning of flowering is evergreen snake beard of ornamental grass, like Japanese sedges (Carex morrowii), hardly distinguishable. Its botanical status as a perennial is revealed when these flowers open:

• inflorescence: raceme with nodding single flowers.
• single flower: short-stalked, campanulate.
• flower color: radiant white to soft violet tinged.
• heyday: June to September.

fruit

Decorative fruits with these attributes are the decorative finish of a snake beard flowering period:

• fruit type: berry with 1 to 4 seeds.
• fruit color: steel blue to blue-black.
• fruit size: pea size
• special feature: slightly toxic, not edible.

species and varieties

The green-leaved original species Ophiopogon planiscapus primarily serves as a floral template for breeding spectacular cultivars. The following table introduces you to the snake beard progenitor and two of its best-known varieties:

Contemporary garden design has discovered black snake beard grass. The dark-leaved perennial fits sensationally into the light gravel surfaces japanese gardens. Planted in a white pot, black-leaved snake beard sets stylish accents in the Zen garden on the balcony. The modern living room design favors the easy-care perennial as a trendy houseplant.

Plant snake beard

The best time to plant snake beard is in spring. From the end of February you can buy the ready-to-plant perennials in tree nurseries and perennial nurseries. Standard market prices for pots range between EUR 9.90 and EUR 18.90. Where and how to plant black snake beard grass correctly, read here:

Location

Ideally, the snake beard perennial penumbra planted. In a sunny location, the leaf color fades. Shady locations are acknowledged with a sparse flowering period.

Good to know: The local light intensity is closely related to the leaf color. Black snake beard develops its optimum at 800 to 1000 lux. Striped species require more light at 1200 to 1600 lux.

soil, substrate

Year-round decorative snake beard growth benefits from these soil and substrate qualities:

• In the bed: more humic, loose and permeable garden floor, fresh to moist, slightly acidic.
• In the pot: mix of peat-free rhododendron soil, compost soil, coconut fiber substrate and lava granules.
• Optimum pH: 5.8 to 6.5

planting tips

Snake beard is easy to plant. These planting tips point out important details:

• Before planting, soak the root ball in rainwater until no more air bubbles rise.
• The planting hole is 1.5 times larger than the potted root ball.
• The planting distance is 20 cm to 25 cm, or 15 to 17 plants per m².
• Fill in the pot substrate over a finger-thick layer expanded clay as drainage.

Did you know that drought stress is the number one cause of snake beard not growing? Therefore, water the perennial regularly on the day of planting and afterwards.

digression

Combine black snake beard – tips

Maintain snake beard

In the sheltered penumbra a snake beard perennial proves to be very easy to care for. The following tips will familiarize you with all important care measures:

Pour

• Keep the soil and substrate evenly moist all year round.
• Water primarily with collected rainwater or stagnant tap water.

Fertilize

• Bedding plants in March and June fertilize with compost and horn shavings,(€9.00 at Amazon*) don't rake in, but rain in.
• Fertilize potted plants every 2 weeks from April to early August with an organic liquid fertilizer (e.g. B. Oscorna animalin).

To cut

• Do not prune evergreen snake beard perennial.
• Pluck or cut sporadic, dried leaves from the tuft of leaves in February/March.
• Extra tip: Clean out wilted inflorescences in the family garden so that no poisonous berries develop that tempt small children to snack on them.

hibernate

• Cover Ophiopogon planiscapus in the bed with needle brushwood or breathable fleece (there is a risk of rot under a layer of leaves).
• Overwinter Snake Beard in a pot in a light and frost-free place at 8° to 10° Celsius.
• Winter care: water when dry (in the bed on frost-free days), no longer fertilize from August.

multiply

• Propagate snake beard perennial by division in March/April.
• Divide the root ball into sections with 10 to 15 leaves.
• Plant sections in a partially shaded location or in a pot with substrate.

diseases and pests

• Common pests: lice, spider mites, thrips and thunderfly larvae.
• If the undersides of the leaves are infested: Rinse off the parasites, spray the tuft of leaves with a soap-alcohol solution.
• If there are additional leaf spots on the upper side: remove leaves affected by advanced pest infestation.

Popular Varieties

Beyond the top cultivars in the fact sheet above, these beautiful snake beard strains are vying for your favor:

• Japanese snake beard (Ophiopogon japonicus): small grass-like perennial, dark green to black-green leaves, white bell-shaped flowers shimmering with light violet from July to August, followed by rich blue berries in autumn.
• Little Snake Beard 'Minor': dark green dwarf variety with white bell-shaped flowers and steel-blue fruits, height of growth 5 cm to 10 cm, width of growth 10 cm to 20 cm.
• Nigrescens: Premium variety delights with dark purple-purple leaves, pink-white pearl flowers and black-blue berries.
• Little Tabby: rare variegated variety with dark green, white-edged leaves, white flowers and dark blue fruits.

FAQ

Is Black Snake Beard Hardy?

In the right location, planted black snake beard (Ophiopogon planiscapus 'Niger') is hardy to - 20° Celsius. To protect against frost, blazing winter sun and other capricious weather, a light winter protection is recommended. As a pot plant, the small Asian perennial is vulnerable to frost damage and should overwinter in bright, frost-free winter quarters.

Is there black grass?

Behind the appearance of black grasses is probably the blackest perennial ever. It is the black-leaved snake beard 'Niger'. The grass-like, black-green leaves can hardly be distinguished from an ornamental grass. The progenitor of the spectacular variety is the green-leaved snake beard original species Ophiopogon planiscapus, which is native to Asia.

My green snake beard has turned brown after the winter. What to do?

The damage described points to two causes. Either your snake beard has suffered frost damage or sunburn. In both cases the leaves are irreversibly damaged. Cut the perennial back to a hand's breadth above the ground. With the beginning of the new growth phase, fresh foliage will sprout.