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Photo: Magnus Manske / CC BY-SA 3.0 / Wikimedia Commons
Ornamental grassExotic

Lomandra

Lomandra longifolia

A tough, evergreen, grass-like clump from eastern Australia that shrugs off heat, drought and poor soil. Fine-leaved 'Tanika' makes tidy, repeatable edging for desert-modern beds.

Mature size0.5–1 m tall, 0.6–1 m spreadGrowthModerateSunSun/part shadeWaterLow
Heat: 4 of 5
Salt: 3 of 5
Drought: 4 of 5
Shade: 3 of 5
Ease of care: 5 of 5
Use in a designGet it looked after

Season

Through the Dubai year

How Lomandra behaves through Dubai's seasons, month by month.

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F
M
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M
J
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S
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D
24°
26°
29°
34°
38°
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42°
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40°
36°
31°
27°

Best planting window

Oct – Dec
Jan – Mar

Spring leaf flush

Tidy dead leaves

Light feed

  • Best planting window: Oct–Mar

    Cooler months let the roots settle before summer.

  • Spring leaf flush: Mar–Apr

  • Tidy dead leaves: Feb

    Pull out dead outer leaves by hand rather than shearing across the clump.

  • Light feed: Mar, Sep

    A slow-release feed in spring and autumn is plenty.

Lomandra is evergreen, so it looks much the same in every month and holds its shape without clipping. New leaf growth flushes from March, helped by spring warmth and irrigation, and the small flower clusters open in spring, mostly hidden within the foliage. In peak summer it tolerates heat and drought but looks best with a regular drip, and the leaf tips may brown in reflected heat. Pull out dead leaves in late winter, just before the next flush, and plant in the cooler months, so the roots settle before the heat returns.

Meet the plant

Meet the Lomandra

Meet lomandra, the grass that is not a grass. It is a relative of asparagus, a tufted perennial from eastern Australia whose flat, strappy leaves look so much like a tidy ornamental grass that most gardeners never notice the difference. Indigenous Australians wove those leaves into baskets, mats and fishing nets, which tells you how tough the fibre is.

The technicality is the rhizome. Beneath each clump, thick underground stems store reserves, which is how the plant sits through heat and drought and then pushes new leaves when water returns. Breeders have exploited that resilience to produce fine-leaved forms such as 'Tanika', with leaves about 3 mm wide, that look more delicate than they are.

The mood it brings is orderly and unfussy: a repeated green fringe that gives a contemporary garden its structure without asking for attention. It is the plant you reach for when you want evergreen calm, a clean line and a bed that still looks composed in August.

Lomandra is not a true grass, but it earns its place beside the ornamental grasses. Lomandra longifolia is a tufted, rhizomatous perennial native to eastern Australia, with flat, strappy, evergreen leaves roughly 40 to 100 cm long and small flowers in whorled clusters on branched stems in spring. Breeding has produced finer, more compact forms, led by 'Tanika' (LM300), the first fine-leaf selection, whose leaves are only about 3 mm wide. Forms like it helped make lomandra popular in home gardens and landscaping in Australia, New Zealand, Spain and the United States.

The reason it has travelled so widely is toughness. Wikipedia records it as frost, heat and drought tolerant and as growing in a variety of soil types, and landscapers have used it for its high drought tolerance. For a Dubai garden that means an evergreen clump that stays in shape without mowing, copes with sun and light shade, and asks only for free drainage and a drip line in the hottest months. Its habit is orderly: each tuft holds a neat, arching fountain, so a row of them reads as a deliberate, repeated rhythm.

That repetition is its best design quality. Use it as a crisp edge along a path or pool, as a block planting in a courtyard bed or as an evergreen filler beneath a tree, against pale paving and gravel. It sits well beside Agave, Olive and Texas Sage, and gives a clean, green counterpoint to silver and grey foliage. It has an unusual history, too: Indigenous Australians wove its leaves into baskets and mats, and the flowers taste of peas.

Design

Where to use it

Path and pool edgingBlock planting in courtyardsEvergreen filler under treesLarge container

Use it in repeated clumps, spaced 50 to 80 cm apart, to give a path, pool edge or courtyard bed a clean, evergreen rhythm. It works in full sun and in light shade and needs free drainage rather than constant moisture, so keep it out of waterlogged corners. Set it against pale paving or gravel and beside silver or grey foliage, and choose the fine-leaved 'Tanika' when you want a delicate, grass-like line.

A specimen of a Century plant (Agave americana) in the countryside within the neighbourhood of Mosqueira, north of th...

Agave

Agave's rigid, blue-grey rosettes make a bold, sculptural contrast to lomandra's soft green fountains, and both ask for little water.

Wild Olive tree — Olea europaea subsp. cuspidata. Cape Town.

Olive

The olive's silver foliage over a green lomandra edge gives a layered, Mediterranean-meets-desert palette suited to contemporary gardens.

Ornamental Texas sage in bloom

Texas Sage

Texas sage's silver leaves and purple blooms are set off by the dark green clumps, and both prefer free drainage and sparing irrigation.

Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis) plant growing in a garden within the village of Trimingham, Norfolk, United Kingdom.

Rosemary

Rosemary's fragrant, needle-like foliage shares lomandra's tolerance for heat and lean soil, giving a textural pairing for a sunny bed.

Care guide

How to grow it in Dubai

Watering

Summer: Drought tolerant once established; a deep drip watering about weekly in peak heat keeps the clump looking lush.

Winter: Rain and an occasional watering are usually enough.

Establishment: Water every few days for the first month, then taper off as the roots establish.

Soil
Grows in a variety of soil types; free-draining sandy loam improved with a little compost suits it best, and waterlogging should be avoided.
Feeding
A light slow-release feed in spring and again in autumn is enough.
Pruning
Remove dead outer leaves by hand in late winter. Avoid shearing the clump flat, which leaves brown, blunt leaf tips.
Planting
Plant October to March, 50 to 80 cm apart in sun to light shade. Choose 'Tanika' for fine leaves.
Pests
Generally trouble-free

Avoid these

Common mistakes

  • Shearing it flat like a hedge. The cut ends turn brown, so remove dead leaves by hand instead.
  • Planting it in waterlogged ground. It tolerates drought far better than wet feet, so give it drainage.
  • Spacing clumps too far apart for a continuous edge. A closer grid fills the gaps in a season or two.
  • Treating it as a walkable lawn substitute. It is a clumping plant, not a turf, and the leaves are strappy rather than soft underfoot.
  • Buying the standard broad-leaved plant when a fine, delicate line was wanted. 'Tanika' has the finest leaf in the species, at about 3 mm.

Extra notes

Good to know

  • Wikipedia records that L. longifolia is native to eastern Australia and is frost, heat and drought tolerant.
  • 'Tanika' (LM300), also sold as breeze grass in the United States, was the first fine-leaf form and still has the finest leaf, about 3 mm wide.
  • Indigenous Australians wove the leaves into baskets, mats and fishing nets and ground the seeds into flour; the flowers are edible and taste of peas.
  • PlantNET describes it as a variable species, with related Lomandra species that can be hard to tell apart, so buy named cultivars from a reliable nursery.

Pros

  • Tolerates heat and drought and adapts to a wide range of soil types
  • Evergreen, tidy clumps that need no mowing and little pruning
  • Fine-leaved forms such as 'Tanika' have leaves only about 3 mm wide
  • Works in sun and light shade, in beds, borders and large pots
  • Few pest or disease problems

Cons

  • Not a UAE native, so it offers limited local habitat value
  • Shearing browns the cut leaf tips, so it needs patient hand-tidying
  • Foliage only; the flowers are small and largely hidden

FAQ

Common questions

Is lomandra a grass?
No. It is a relative of asparagus, though its flat, strappy, evergreen leaves look so much like an ornamental grass that nurseries sell it with them. It forms tufted clumps from rhizomes and has small flower clusters rather than grass plumes.
Does lomandra cope with Dubai's heat?
Wikipedia records it as frost, heat and drought tolerant, and it grows in a variety of soil types. In Dubai it does best with free drainage, sun to light shade and a regular drip in peak summer; leaf tips may brown in reflected heat.
What is the difference between 'Tanika' and ordinary lomandra?
'Tanika' (LM300) was the first fine-leaf selection and still has the finest leaf of the species, about 3 mm wide. Standard forms have wider, more strappy leaves.
Can I shear lomandra to neaten it?
Avoid it. Cutting across the leaves leaves blunt, browning tips. Instead pull out dead outer leaves by hand in late winter, just before the spring flush.
How much water does lomandra need?
Very little once established. Water every few days for the first month, then taper to a deep drip watering about weekly in the hottest months, and rely on rain and occasional watering in winter.

Not sure how it suits your garden?

Ask about Lomandra on WhatsApp

Sources

  1. 1. Wikipedia: Lomandra longifolia (tolerances, cultivation, Tanika, traditional uses)
  2. 2. PlantNET (Royal Botanic Garden Sydney): Lomandra longifolia

Last reviewed 2026-10-05 by Ghaf Gardens horticulture desk.

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