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Golden Hakone Grass

By , About.com Guide

This Japanese forest grass displays variegated blades. It's called golden Hakone grass.

Golden Japanese forest grass is best-known for its gold and green blades. But red is just as prominent a color in the example pictured here.

David Beaulieu

Plant Taxonomy of Golden Hakone Grass:

According to plant taxonomy, golden Hakone grass is classified as Hakonechloa macra 'Aureola.' The cultivar name, 'Aureola' is an allusion to the gold color of its leaves. Another common name for the plant is golden Japanese forest grass.

Plant Type:

Golden Hakone grass is a perennial in the Grass family (Poaceae). It is classified as an ornamental grass.

Characteristics:

This ornamental grass if grown for its attractive variegated foliage: it is green and gold and can also display a pleasing admixture of red. It is arching in habit. The plant does produce a flower, but the bloom is considered insignificant. Plants will grow about a foot high, with a slightly greater spread.

Planting Zones for Golden Hakone Grass:

Grow Japanese forest grass in planting zones 5-9.

Sun and Soil Requirements:

Grow in partial shade. A hint as to its preference not to be in pounding sunlight is the name, "forest grass" (as in a plant that grows on the forest floor, under the dappled shade of trees). Grow in an evenly-moist soil with good drainage. Add soil amendments for optimal growth. For example, you can amend the ground with compost. Golden Hakone grass will grow better in a soil enriched with humus than in poor soil.

Uses for Japanese Forest Grass:

Use for a well-behaved ground cover in shady spots, including along a shaded border or on the face of a hillside that is located in partial shade.

Its brightly-colored leaves make it a natural choice for various landscape color schemes. For example, if you are an admirer of blue and gold color schemes, grow it with shade-tolerant, blue-flowered companions such as Jacob's ladder and 'Jack Frost' Brunnera. Or to go strictly with foliage plants, combine it with blue-leaved hosta plants.

Golden Hakone Grass and Deer:

Japanese forest grasses are deer-resistant plants.

Care for Japanese Forest Grass:

Some mulch the plant for winter protection at the northern limits of its range, although I have not bothered doing so here in zone 5 and the plant has survived just fine. Mulch will also help the soil around your plants retain moisture in summer and keep weeds at bay.

But this is a low-maintenance plant. Remove the dead foliage from the prior season's growth any time from late fall to early spring. I tend to leave the dead foliage alone until spring, figuring that it affords a bit of winter protection. Divide in spring, if desired.

Outstanding Features:

I have already mentioned shade-tolerance and deer-resistance; I regard both as outstanding qualities of this ornamental grass.

In addition, this type of ornamental grass is not invasive.

Meaning of the Botanical Name:

Let's conclude with a look at the meaning behind the scientific name, Hakonechloa macra 'Aureola.'

Hakone is a mountain in the plant's native Japan, while chloa is Greek for "grass." Meanwhile, macra indicates "big" in Greek. As already mentioned, the cultivar name 'Aureola' means "golden."

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