Maria von Brincken Landscape Garden Design

I was delighted to read that the Perennial Plant Association (PPA) voted Hakonechloa macra ‘Aureola’ or Golden Variegated Hakone grass as the 2009 Perennial Plant of the year. This lime-green small low growing ornamental grass lights up a shade garden and combines to create stunning plant combinations and textural compositions.

I love planting it with large leafed blue hosta (‘Blue Angel”), the low growing ‘yaku’ rhododendron, and perhaps the burgundy leaf of coral bell (Huechera x ‘Stormy Seas’ or “Plum Pudding’ . To use it effectively, plant clumps of 3 together–better 5 , 7 , or 9. Otherwise it gets lost in the garden and adds a element of chaos instead of wonder.

In the shady entry garden shown in the above photo I’ve combined Hakone Grass with masses of the golden coral bells (Heuchera ‘Citronelle’), dark green shiny European ginger (Asarum europaeum), and spring blooming pale-pink- going-to-white Yak rhododendron (R. ‘Yaku-Princess’). The combination complements the fieldstone and granite I chose for the cheek-walls and steps. This design works well in all seasons and was installed early fall 2008.