Solved Identification request

Apologies to anyone who thinks it a stupid and/or very basic question, but I'd be grateful if someone could tell me what this stuff is, please. I don't like it, but am still curious about it.
It was left here by the previous owners of this house, and has been trying to take over the border at the back of my garden. I've started ripping it out with a view to planting something that I think attractive in the space. Whatever it is, it seems to propagate by way of a rhizome or something of that sort. As I've been taking it up, I've found a mass of interconnected nodular roots. It's low to the ground - no more than a few inches high - with long narrow leaves that are green at the bottom and almost black at the top and small, pale, delicate flowers.

 

Ophipogon planiscapus nigrescens.

 

Thank you very much.

 

In the right place its not a bad plant, grows where lots of things wont.

 

The right place is not in my garden!

Having looked it up, I've been interested to learn that it likes slightly acidic soil. That's really good news, because I want to put azaleas in that border. I haven't got as far as testing the soil acidity, and was assuming that I'd need to acidify it - I thought that this area was all chalk.

 

It grows well in my garden, and its not acidic.
Dont think that part is true, I find it grows anywhere.
Even dry shade.

 

OK, noted, thanks. No matter - I'm no worse off than I thought I was this morning. I'll go ahead and test, in the expectation that I'll have to acidify the soil. If it turns out that I don't, well, so much the better.

 

If your soil is chalky and you like Azaleas then you might be better off growing them in containers.

 

Yes, I know, thanks. However, I've already rejected that idea for personal reasons. Besides, putting a bit of sulphur down occasionally is neither expensive nor onerous. I think that even I can cope with that.

 

To buy Ophiopogon planiscapus nigrescens in a garden centre it is always expensive and I have found it slow to get established and expand.
Here they charge £9.99 for a small 9cm pot.

Ophiopogon planiscapus 'Kokuryu' - black lilyturf - Ophiopogon planiscapus Nigrescens.

It is a compact , low growing plant...pale lilac flowers , followed by black seed pods.
If you plan to get shot of it please can you pot them on and give them to a local charity sale to raise funds.
Or leave on the pavement ...free to a good home.

I like the contrast of the dark leaves with plants which have golden/yellow foliage.
Or interplanted with pink crocus.

 

I'd be happy to give the horrible, invasive stuff away. However, I don't have any pots in which to put it. And most of what I had is already in the wheelie bin waiting for the council to take it away.

If anyone reading this would like some, you have until tomorrow (Thursday) evening to come to Salisbury and dig it up. Bring your own pot(s). On Friday morning, the council is supposed to empty my bin. Once it's empty, I intend to put the rest of the plant in.