Family Poaceae.
Originating from Japan.
- Fine, arching leaves form graceful cascading mounds.
- Foliage turns warm shades of orange and red in autumn.
- Easy to grow and non-invasive, excellent for shade.
The Hakone Grass in Your Garden
Few plants cascade like the Hakone Grass. Its compact mounds of deliciously soft-textured foliage deliver a striking impression of movement for its diminutive stature. Effervescing like a miniature fountain, the broad, elegantly pointed blades overlay each other in a dense, flowing array.
Hakonechloa macra is fully hardy in UK gardens, growing to around 40–60cm tall and wide in 2-5 years. Thriving in partial shade, it makes a stunning understory plant in Norfolk’s woodland gardens, setting off upright taller species. With greater character than many utilitarian ground-cover plants, it makes a strong presence worthy of container planting on Suffolk’s patios.
Its cheerful, bright green leaves are thin and silky, swaying and rustling soothingly in the slightest breeze. Its lacy, diaphanous flowers are often described as insignificant, but they add further soft detail when viewed close-up. In autumn, the foliage turns warm red and tan colours, in a departing fanfare for winter.
Growing Tips for Your Shade-Loving Ornamental Grass, Hakonechloa macra
- Soil and sun: any soil except those that are heavy and wet in light to deep shade. It is tolerant of sunny positions if kept moist.
- Planting: at any time of year. Never plant a dry plant! Plunge for 10 minutes to drench the root ball before planting.
- Watering: moderate; for maximum lushness, keep soil consistently moist. Tolerates brief dry spells if grown in cool shade.
- Pruning: Cut back old foliage in late winter or early spring before new growth emerges.
Add striking texture, movement and sound to the lower levels of your garden with this shade-loving ornamental grass. Its cascading form dramatises the margins of paths and flows over rockeries and the sides of pots. Its endearing form, like an exotic head of hair, has more character than many grasses, and a calming, Zen-like presence.
