Thursday, January 2, 2014

My favorite plant this week: Lomandra longifolia 'Breeze'

I've got a belated new year's lunch with friends to get to but I didn't want to miss posting my favorite plant this week.  It's the grass-like evergreen Lomandra longifolia 'Breeze' (aka dwarf mat rush).  This plant has performed admirably in my garden since I planted 3 in the fall of 2012.  In fact, I've been looking to purchase more and have held off only because I can't find it in anything smaller than a 1-gallon size.









My photos don't do it justice.  The foliage is a bright emerald green.  It produces yellow flowers in summer, which reportedly have a honey scent - next summer, I'll have to take a whiff.  The attributes listed by growers are impressive to say the least:

  • Suitable in full sun to partial shade (mine did fine in a mostly shade situation but adapted without difficulty when that became a mostly sun situation after the removal of the nearby Eucalyptus tree)
  • Drought tolerant once established but, according to San Marcos Growers, it can also handle wet soil
  • Performed well in tests with irrigation involving both saline water and reclaimed water
  • Accepting of clay and sandy soil
  • Winter hardy to 15-20 degrees Fahrenheit (reportedly unscathed by temperatures dipping to 16F in the Atlanta, GA area)
  • Evergreen in USDA zones 8-11 and perennial in zones 7-11
  • Successfully grown under Eucalyptus trees (where, I can testify, it's hard to grow anything)
  • Deer tolerant
  • Suitable for use singly or in mass plantings


What more could you want from a plant?  This Australian native grows 2-4 feet tall and wide (mine are currently about 2x2 feet in size).  After reading  more about it, I think I may have to plunk down cash for the 1-gallon size and try it on my back slope.

Lomandra longifolia 'Breeze' is my contribution to Loree's favorites meme at danger garden.  Please check her site for her favorite and those selected by other bloggers.

8 comments:

  1. Another lovely, tactile looking plant that is tempting to touch and see it sway with the breeze!

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  2. I was wondering why you wouldn't want a 1-gallon but I guess you answered that with the comment "plunk down cash"...what a wonderful plant that no doubt brings a lot of motion to your garden. By the way I appreciate that grevillea sneaking in there...

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    1. I actually buy quite a few plants in the 1-gallon (or 3-quart) size but these used to be available in 6-inch pots and when I found I could only get it in the 3-quart size for $13 a pot, I got a little pissy about it...

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  3. I like it! Since it does well in full sun, I may need to consider it for my hill side... Thanks for the inspiration!

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    1. I hope it works for you, Renee. Thanks for visiting!

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  4. I'm concerned about the seed heads piercing my dogs paws... Is that an issue? I don't know if there seed heads are hard and spikey...

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    1. I don't have dogs so I can't claim specific experience with that issue, Donna, but the Lomandra's flower spikes and their seeds are relatively few and all concentrated in the center of the plant. I just pulled a few of the seeds from one of my plants - they're tiny and not very hard, making me think of poppy seeds. I hope that helps.

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