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Japanese Forest Grass
Hakonechloa macra
Japanese Forest Grass is grown for its foliage rather than flowers, giving the garden structure and color all season long.
Months here are Northern Hemisphere months; in the Southern Hemisphere, shift them by six months.
Growing Japanese Forest Grass
Plant it in part shade. It prefers moderate water. It is hardy in USDA zones 5–9. Expect it to reach about 16 in tall and 24 in wide at maturity, in roughly 3 years (not yet checked).
What was checked
Mature height and spread, hardiness zones, sun and the trait tags were checked against named botanical sources for this plant. The bloom months and water need on this page were not, and each fact above says which. The planting, spacing and size sections are derived from these checked facts by a fixed rule, not checked separately, and the plant type is the library's own classification.
When to plant Japanese Forest Grass
Plant Japanese Forest Grass in early spring as soon as the soil is workable, or in early fall at least six weeks before your first frost, so roots establish in cool weather. In zone 7, the middle of its hardy zones 5 to 9, spring means March to May and fall means September or October.
Month-by-month timing for your zone is on the planting calendar; if you garden near zone 7, the middle of this plant's hardy range, start with zone 7 in March. Derived from the plant's category, zones and bloom months plus typical zone frost dates, not checked separately.
How big does Japanese Forest Grass get?
16 intall5 ft 7 inan adult24 inwideSee Japanese Forest Grass in a garden plan: the planner shows it in 3D beside everything else you add, growing toward this size over the years.
How far apart to plant Japanese Forest Grass
Derived from the mature spread above by a fixed rule, not checked separately: spacing is the spread, center to center.
Space Japanese Forest Grass about 24 in apart, center to center, so each plant has room to reach its full width.
Add Japanese Forest Grass to a garden plan and the planner draws it at its full width, so you see the spacing before you buy.
Where these facts come from
Japanese Forest Grass' height, spread, hardiness zones and sun were checked against 3 published sources on July 29, 2026. Each one is linked below with every fact it carried, which can include a fact this page still marks as not yet checked, because a source carrying a value is not the same as the value being held to the standard. Facts not in that list, and the planting, spacing and size sections, are not covered by these sources.
- Missouri Botanical GardenPlant Finderheight, spread, hardiness zones and sun
- NC State ExtensionPlant Toolboxheight, spread, hardiness zones and sun
- University of Wisconsin HorticultureUniversity of Wisconsin-Madison Horticulture Extensionheight, hardiness zones and sun
How the checking works, and what each standard covers, is on the verified plants page.
Comes in 3 varieties
Same plant, same care - pick the variety you are growing.
Compare every variety in the Japanese Forest Grass group
Every figure is the variety's own page fact. Tap a name to open it.
| Variety | Color | Blooms | Hardiness | Sun | Size (H × W) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Albostriata | Foliage | Foliage plant | Zones 5–9 | Part shade | 20 in × 24 in |
| Beni-Kaze | Foliage | Foliage plant | Zones 5–9 | Part shade | 16 in × 24 in |
| Golden Hakone (Aureola) | Foliage | Foliage plant | Zones 5–9 | Part shade | 16 in × 24 in |
| Japanese Forestthis page | Foliage | Foliage plant | Zones 5–9 | Part shade | 16 in × 24 in |
Good to know about Japanese Forest Grass
Curated from university extensions, botanic gardens and other primary sources, with the source named on every note. A note reports what its source says; where that differs from a fact above, the fact above is this entry's stored value, and its mark says whether it has been checked.
Worth knowing
Unusual among ornamental grasses in wanting shade, not sun: one of the few that thrives in a shady spot, where most other grasses need full sun and flop. per NC State
Warm end is heat-limited
Rated to zone 9 on paper, but it struggles in hot, humid southern US summers (zones 8 to 9). The warm limit is heat, not winter cold. per NC State and Missouri Botanical
Greens up late in spring
A warm-season grass, so it is slow to reappear; a bare crown in early spring is normal, not winter loss. It dies back fully with no winter interest. per Wisconsin
Slow clump, not invasive
It forms a tight, slow-growing clump that spreads only slowly by short rhizomes and does not run; it is not considered invasive and rarely needs dividing. per NC State
Non-toxic to pets
Generally regarded as non-toxic: it is absent from the ASPCA list of plants toxic to cats, and NC State flags no poison risk to people or pets. per ASPCA and NC State
A cascading shade edger
Its arching mound cascades over a rim, rock, or slope like flowing water, making it a fine path or bed edger, groundcover, and container plant. per Wisconsin
What pairs well with Japanese Forest Grass
Good companions share its growing conditions and add something it lacks: an earlier or later bloom, a lower carpet in front, or structure through winter.
Wild Ginger
Takes part shade to full shade and moderate water; lower at 6 in, for the front of the border.
Witch Hazel
Takes part sun to part shade and moderate water; stands well above at 10 ft, a canopy to plant beneath.
All 8 companion pairings for Japanese Forest Grass →
Try Japanese Forest Grass with its top companions in a garden →
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Design a garden with this
Drop this plant onto a 3D plan, see how it fills in, and watch your whole garden bloom across the year.