Mondo grass forms low, dense tufts of narrow, deep green blades that read like fine turf but never need mowing. It stays around 4 to 5 inches tall, spreading slowly into an evergreen carpet under trees, along walks, and in the dry shade where lawns give up.

It takes shade to part shade, deer, rabbits, and drought once rooted in. Plant plugs a few inches apart for solid cover within a couple of seasons. About the only care it wants is a once-a-year tidy: shear or mow off old foliage in late winter.