How to be Inspired in August….

How to be inspired in August…. Especially this August, with its heat and humidity. Walking around the Garden (Heritage Museums & Gardens), I’m excited to see the beautiful meadows(I’ll discuss the meadows in a future article) of the Parking Garden with their spectacular show of herbaceous plants. Many are in full-flower and have been now for a few weeks. Several species stand out but one I’ve come to love is Hakonechola. We used this species in several shady locations and it’s been impressive in both locations.

When looking for plants for shade, one that has been around for a few years, but hasn’t really made it to the main-stream is Hakonechola macra ‘Aureola’, Japanese Forest Grass. Also known as Hakone Grass, this is a shade-loving plant that spreads by rhizomes and grows to 12-18” tall.

The plant, which was awarded the 2009 Perennial Plant of the Year Award from the Perennial Plant Association, has a wonderful fine texture and looks like a cross between an ornamental grass and a miniature bamboo giving it a refined appearance. It can loves shade and if you grow the variegated cultivar (‘Aurea’) it can help brighten-up an otherwise dark spot in the garden. I’ve been really impressed with this plant. It spreads well and can cover a deeply shaded area in 1-2 seasons. It works well with plants like Hosta where the fine texture of the Hakonechola is a great contrast with the large, coarse leaves of Hosta.

Hakonechola is easily grown preferring rich soils with lots of organic material and prefers shade, although it will tolerate some sun, especially if it’s getting adequate water. It prefers moist locations and the foliage can burn if it isn’t kept moist. It will easily grow on the Cape being hardy to zone 5 (and down to zone 9). I’ve found that stronger sun exposure lends more contrast in the variegation. More shade and the plant tends to go green. But with dappled shade you’ll have nice variegation that is very effective with other plants in the border.

Hakonechola can be used in many ways in the Garden. The fact that it tolerates shade and can do well with some sun makes it a great plant for the garden. I’ve seen it used in large masses and it looks great. I’ve seen several plants in a clump used with coarser textured plants such as Hosta or Lungwort (Pulmonaria) and I’ve also seen it used as a false-stream bed tracing through a garden to great effect. The foliage all tends to fall in the same direction so it can be very useful when used as a stream.

When looking for a nice, refined alternative to the usual shade garden plants, consider Hakonechola. Especially the variegated form. It will brighten-up a dark section of any shade garden. If you come to Heritage Museums & Gardens you can find it used in several areas throughout the Garden but it can be most easily spotted in the Parking Garden across from ticketing.