Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show: Stretching your zone with a gorgeous grass
I talked about microclimates on Tuesday. This zone 5 grass is one you might consider in YOUR microclimate. Hakonechloa macra ‘Aureola’ is a lovely grass for shade.
It’s often used in Japanese gardens, where it originated. Variegated but nearly all yellow, the leaf blades have narrow green stripes, mostly near the margins. The leaves cascade, arching in the same direction. Makes it look a bit like a golden waterfall.
It would look beautiful planted down slopes, draped over rocks, crawling over the edges of walls, at the front of the garden, or even in containers.
Though this grass does spread by rhizomes, it is a slow grower and won’t overtake its neighbors very quickly. When grown in part shade, the yellow tones in the leaves will be most pronounced. In deep shade, the variegation will be lime green. In the cooler days of autumn, the golden foliage becomes infused with shades of pink and red.
In colder climates, it will die all the way back to the ground. I think it’s worth stretching my climate zone to give it a try! Good news, hakonechloa has no serious insect or disease problems. Although root heaving can be a problem in winter. The leaves may scorch in hot summers without a lot of moisture, which happened last season!
I planted three of them in 2020. One barely survived and last year’s (2021) drought did NOT help. I’m hoping it’ll come back this year!
