Liriope muscari not looking great

Hi all

I inherited quite a few liriope muscari a couple of years ago that I planted in my sunken garden area. This area is pretty shady and I have clay soil so I suspect they just aren’t happy here.

I plan to move them to a slightly sunnier spot but I was wondering:

a) Is it still ok to divide them before planting?

b) Should I cut back the foliage on them before dividing? They’re a difficult one for me as though they are a perennial they don’t die back like everything else so I get a bit confused when it comes time to tidy things up.

Many thanks everyone!

 

They don’t like the sun, dappled shade is probably the most they would cope well with. I would suggest dividing them, they just look like they have some old foliage rather than been unhealthy. You may find they naturally fall apart into separate plants once dug up

 

Thanks @Butterfly6 I’ll give one a go. Should they be cut back annually to the ground?

 

No, just leave them alone. Only need attention if there’s some dead, tatty foliage which you can cut back if needed, sometimes it may just pull away

 

They're not unhealthy, as Butterfly6 says, it's just old, tired foliage which will give way to new growth once the weather warms up. They're terrific plants for clay soil in shade.

 

Thank you both