Japanese Hakone Grass (Hakonechloa macra ‘Aureola’) (1)

Japanese Hakone Grass (Hakonechloa macra ‘Aureola’) (1)

Hakonechloa macra ‘Aureola’ is a beautiful ornamental grass which performs well in the shade. Its leaf blades have narrow stripes of various green hues. The arching leaves tend to flow in the same direction, making them look like a cascading waterfall.

Hakone grasses spread by rhizomes. In shade, the striped leaf blades shine in shades of lime green. In part shade, the yellow tones of the leaves will be most pronounced. The green color bleaches to creamy white when grown in full sun. In the cooler days of autumn, the foliage becomes infused with shades of pink and red. It then turns light brown before collapsing in winter. Unlike many other ornamental grasses, this species dies back to the ground.

I captured the Japanese Hakone grass in the rhododendron forest of the ‘Merian Gardens’ in Basel’s city park ‘Grün 80’.

Leave a Reply

Close Menu