Shade Gardening: Am I too late?, 1 by gregr18

gregr18 wrote:
Peggy, You might also be interested in a type of grass that I have had a lot of success with in the shade that can really brighten things up. It is Hakonlechloa, or Hakone grass. You've got a beautiful spot there and the grass might help with some texture. As an added bonus, I put this in last year in the dead of summer and had no problems with it. It is quite thirsty, and you'll have to give it plenty of water so it can establish itself, but it really flourishes in shade. It's a Japanese forest grass, so it is adapted to growing in woodlands, unlike a lot of the water grasses and prairie grasses from North America that need lots of sun to stay in good shape.

I'll attach a shot of a clump I got going last year. It isn't a large grass, so if you like it, you might need to get a few pots, but I think the home improvement places are starting to sell it for decent prices. It doesn't spread particularly fast either, but that makes it ideal for accenting other plants without worrying about it crowding them out. This cultivar is called 'Aureola', but there are more and more new ones coming out all the time.

http://davesgarden.com/pf/go/54890/index.html
http://davesgarden.com/pf/go/76570/index.html
http://www.plantsafari.com/Images350/Hakonechloa-macra-Albos...