All Gold Hakonechloa Macra Grasses - One Year Post Garden Edit Border - April 2025

Last May, I undertook a [garden edit] in the backyard that was aimed at accomplishing a few things at once:  First, it was part of my "hosta replacement project" - where I was moving some hostas (that don't provide four-season interest) further back in the garden.  Second, I was looking to improve the stumpery with some ferns and other shade-tolerant perennials.  And, finally....I had an established cluster of All Gold Hakonechloa Macra Japanese Forest Grasses that sat in the bed under our Tree Swing tree that I wanted to move.  Why move them?  Because that's where I put the pizza oven.

Here's the post showing this garden edit and transplant of the All Gold grasses.  Pre-transplant, I had eight grasses in the garden.   I did some dividing (I think), because in this post, I count nine grasses in the garden edit.  

As I've mentioned previously, last growing season got away from me thanks to the pizza oven build.  Weeding and watering were misses.  So much so, that I included 'getting back to basics on irrigation' as #19 of my to-do list this year.  

Because of that (lack of watering), I wasn't sure how mnay of these All Golds would come back.  After all, they were established in their previous spots, but transplanting them in May is traumatic.

Out in the garden this weekend and I started to count.  One...two...three...four...

I got to nine.  Nine All Golds were emerging from the mulch.  That means all of them made it.  

Below is a photo showing the early-season emergence of these Japanese Forest Grasses:

Love to see it. 

I've attempted to use these Hakonechloa Grasses - not the All Gold, but rather the 'straight green' version in the backyard, too.   But....as I pointed out in this post....I had a garden miss with them last year.  Between not buying the ten-or-so that I needed to fill out the border, I neglected the four new ones.  Will those come back?  I'm not sure.  If they do, they're WAY behind these All Golds.  

#4 on my 2025 to-do list is to 'finish the garden edits' from last year.  Adding those grasses is a big part of that finishing. 

Also on my list is to improve the 'legibility' of our garden - and one component of increasing that legibility is the notion of repetition.  

These Hakonechloa Macra grasses - both the All Gold and the straight green - are a big part of my vision for repetition.  I can see them lining the boardwalk on the side of the house.  I need a dozen-or-so around the tree swing tree and pizza oven bed.  And, I have these nine back by the Stumpery. 

The price for the All Gold grasses has gone up in recent years.  Here, below, is The Growing Place listing them for $24.99 for one-gallon containers.  I can get the straight-green version for $15 up at Northwind - but it isn't just the price.  I like the 'straight-green' Japanese Forest Grasses in mass and want to use my nine All Golds as highlights for a darker spot.