Hakonechloa Macra Japanese Forest Grass

Hakonechloa Macra is an RHS AGM winning deciduous ornamental grass with clumps of bright green foliage and graceful airy sprays of green flowers in late summer. It suits underplanting and cool, shady areas beneath evergreen shrubs and woodland style gardens.

Hakonechloa Macra is also known as Japanese Forest Grass and Hakone Grass. It’s native to the moist mountainous and woodland areas of central Japan, thriving around Mount Hakone hence its name Hakone Grass.

If you have damp open areas of soil beneath shrubs that need cover then Japanese Forest Grass is a good bet. It enjoys cool shade where it quickly forms clumps of gracefully arching bright green foliage. Its new foliage appears bright green in spring and matures to red-brown over summer. In warmer parts of the UK, its bronzed leaves will remain over winter before being joined by fresh new growth in spring.

It works well when combined with leafy hostas and other ornamental grasses and suits a decorative container on a shady balcony too.  

Flower arrangers appreciate Japanese Forest Grass’s architectural grass stems and late summer green flowers that can be dried and used in long-lasting flower displays to create a subtle background against brighter flowerheads.

Height And Spread of Hakonechloa Macra
Hakone Grass reaches half a metre in height and spread over 2-5 years. Its arching flowers usually appear a few inches above the grass tips.

How Hardy Is Hakonechloa Macra
Japanese Forest Grass is hardy to minus temperatures if its roots are damp in summer and well-drained in freezing winters.

How To Use Hakonechloa Macra
This is a great underplanting grass that covers a moist area quickly and protects the soil from erosion or cat activity. This is a low-growing grass that suits pathway edging, wildlife gardens, and fills a low maintenance border with lots of movement and vibrant green shades.

Hakone Grass will also grow in a well-watered container to brighten up a roof top garden, a patio, or deck.

How To Care For Hakonechloa Macra
Versatile Hakone Grass will grow in the majority of damp but not soggy soils and prefers a partially shady spot that keeps its foliage cool.

This is a deciduous perennial grass so new leaves grow each year. Cut foliage down before the new growth starts in spring and mulch annually with well-rotted manure or compost to feed the new growth and keep the temperature down around its roots.