#japaneseforestgrass

[jillraggett]

Plant of the Day

Tuesday 14 June 2022

Hakonechloa macra (Japanese forest grass, hakone grass, ornamental grass) forms clumps of elegant arching foliage and grows well in moist, humus-rich soil in cool shade. It works well edging a path, underplanting shrubs or in containers.

Jill Raggett

[wdcgardener]

Our Hakone Grass (Hakonechloa macra) plant profile is up at - washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2019/10/plant-… It produced by Washington Gardener Magazine and shot/edited by intern @jessicakranzz ➤ If you enjoy this video, please give it a thumbs up and subscribe to our Youtube channel #gardendc #plantprofile #hakone #hakonegrass #japaneseforestgrass (at Washington, District of Columbia) https://www.instagram.com/p/B3IKUwtgM6Z/?igshid=15ek756bprzow

[stealthflower]

#hakonechloa macra as dusk falls. . . . #garden #wildgarden #gardenersofinstagram #japaneseforestgrass #urbangarden https://www.instagram.com/p/Bp-uLhqFT_y/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1pmfykrxzdtyy

[gardeningknowhow]

Japanese forest grass - #japaneseforestgrass is an elegant member of the Hakonechioa family. These #ornamental #plants are slow growing and require little care once established. There are several colors and varieties to choose from for the #garden, such as this golden one.

[lawrencelandscape]

Garden chores for February and some favorite plants for next season!

Here are some plants I can't wait to try in my own yard:

While I've used these plants extensively with customers, I love them and can't wait to have them in my own new garden!

Chamaecyparis pisifera, ‘Sungold’. Evergreen shrub, 3-8’ H x W, slow growing, likes partial shade to sun. Exotic year-round color- requires drainage and no overwatering.

Japanese Forest Grass or Hakonechloa- 1-3’ H x W. Shade loving grass (also takes moist soils!)!! Gorgeous three season color and texture. 

Moneywort or Lysimachia- groundcover. Amazing shade tolerating ground cover- creeps and provides popping color underneath trees! I frequently use it in baskets and pots. Can’t wait to get some underneath the trees in my garden.

Hydrangea paniculata- 4-6’H x W. Partial sun, rich soil. A carefree hydrangea that loves part shade, part sun. It will take a good pruning after bloom to keep it strong and sturdy but has the most glorious white blooms! Not your grandmother’s hydrangea…..

And my favorites from my old garden that I want in my new garden:

Witch Hazel, ‘Arnold’s Promise’ or ‘Jelena’ (red/orange blooms)- 6-8’ H x 12’ W. These shrubby trees can get to 12’ high but I’ve only seen them mature at 8’. They are a woodland favorite of mine- liking intermediate light (mixed sun, a bit of shade but will tolerate hot western sun). They have amazing leaves but, best of all, bloom out in February through March. The have white bark and a very, very architectural structure. Ahhh…. a link to the Missouri Botanical Garden’s witch hazels!

Beautyberry or Callicarpa dichotoma ‘Issai’- 3-5’ H x W. Easy to grow, simple woodland, semi-native. Long arching branches create a softly Asian shrub that works well as a structure plant in partial-shade. Not too showy blooms in pink result in shockingly violet berry production that persist all fall! Good golden fall color. Great natural shape creates back drop for showier, smaller plants.

Garden Chores for this month.... 

Although it feels like spring, it is NOT. Don’t clean leaves from your bed. These leaves provide organic matter and insulation for the plant and soil. Don’t think about mowing or much else out there- it’s muddy. Don’t walk on it- it will damage the soil, the grass and anything else.

Dead-head perennials- get those flower stalks off. Cut down any evergreen foliage to the ground before new leaves start to emerge. We are cleaning up daylilies, liriope, irises, and any other perennials.

Prune back your twiggy spirea! Prune back butterfly bush. All viburnums and ninebark (two very vigorous types of shrubs) can be hacked to the appropriate level for your garden. If they are young, just planted in spring or fall, don’t prune much! If they are older and well established, feel free to prune with abandon. Hack ‘em back!

Vegetable gardening? You can prepare soil- till if you are a till-kind-of-person. Turn over the soil and/or add compost to your vegetable plots. This gives the soil time to get rich before lots of spring planting.

Plan out your veggies- Try not to plant tomatoes or any of the nightshade/ Solanum family (potato, eggplants, tomatoes. tomatillo) in the same place you planted them last year. The reason gardeners recommend this is due to soil-borne diseases. Many farmers have no trouble with this (my husband was shocked when I mentioned this, as his grandmother the master gardener, had NEVER done it.) Honestly, my dad didn’t either. But if you’ve had any issues or let your plants to rot into the ground over the fall and winter, I’d move my planting area!!