Hackenochloa

Vwhelan

Hi. I have hakonechloa macra aureola in a pot,  given to me by a friend. I think it looks great and I know where I want to plant it, but can anyone tell me what happens to it in winter? Does it die back completely?
What do people do with the area in wintertime?

KeenOnGreen

It does stop growing, but old growth will remain above ground.  If you're not too fussy about neatness you could leave this, as we do.  We cut the old growth back hard in early Spring, when you should start to see new shoots appearing.  We have ours in a pot, so we just accept that we have an empty looking pot for a few months.  I guess you could put a companion plant or some bulbs in the same pot, so you have a bit more Winter interest.

Vwhelan

Great, thanks for that response. I might plant some bulbs among the grass.

Fairygirl

I do exactly that @Vwhelan. The old growth stays on, unless the weather removes it, and I have bulbs below them.

The Hakenochloa doesn't start into growth until a bit later in spring, so bulbs are a good accompaniment. You can use taller ones like daffs/narcissus, which will use theold foliage as a support, or lower growing ones if you remove the growth in late autumn before the bulb foliage comes through.