Plant Finder

Other Names:  Japanese Woodland Grass

Description:

Graceful arching grassy foliage is medium green and almost bamboo-like; beautiful along pathways, edges and containers; provide good drainage; leaves become flushed with orange and red tones in cooler fall weather

Ornamental Features

Nicolas Hakone Grass is primarily valued in the garden for its cascading habit of growth. It attractive grassy leaves are green in color. As an added bonus, the foliage turns a gorgeous red in the fall.

Landscape Attributes

Nicolas Hakone Grass is a dense herbaceous perennial grass with a shapely form and gracefully arching stems. Its relatively fine texture sets it apart from other garden plants with less refined foliage.

This is a relatively low maintenance plant, and usually looks its best without pruning, although it will tolerate pruning. It has no significant negative characteristics.

Nicolas Hakone Grass is recommended for the following landscape applications;

• Mass Planting
• Border Edging
• General Garden Use
• Naturalizing And Woodland Gardens
• Container Planting

Planting & Growing

Nicolas Hakone Grass will grow to be about 16 inches tall at maturity, with a spread of 24 inches. Its foliage tends to remain dense right to the ground, not requiring facer plants in front. It grows at a medium rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live for approximately 15 years. As an herbaceous perennial, this plant will usually die back to the crown each winter, and will regrow from the base each spring. Be careful not to disturb the crown in late winter when it may not be readily seen!

This plant should be grown in a location with partial shade or which is shaded from the hot afternoon sun. It does best in average to evenly moist conditions, but will not tolerate standing water. It is not particular as to soil type or pH. It is somewhat tolerant of urban pollution. This is a selected variety of a species not originally from North America.

Nicolas Hakone Grass is a fine choice for the garden, but it is also a good selection for planting in outdoor pots and containers. It is often used as a 'filler' in the 'spiller-thriller-filler' container combination, providing a canvas of foliage against which the thriller plants stand out. Note that when growing plants in outdoor containers and baskets, they may require more frequent waterings than they would in the yard or garden.