I am in NH so I don’t know if WI soils make Hakone grass happy, but I am able to grow it here on the boundry between z 4 and 5. i get temperatures that get below -20F about every 5 years. I have had the gold variety of Hakone grass for more than 15 years, and though it has been quite slow to expand, it has suvived in more than one spot here. if you get good snow cover, it might be worth trying, perhaps in a spot where it is sheltered or blown snow collects.

Thank you, NHBabs, for sharing your experience. They would be planted in a mulched area adjacent to a patio and under an oak tree. Snow shoveled off a deck would provide winter protection. I think I'll give them a try. :)

Throwing a bit of extra mulch in that area in fall might help through the shoulder seasons.

I have one in z5b that’s struggled and struggled. It’s in shade about half the day. There’s just a tiny bit left. If it dies I’m not buying another.

No, woodyoak, I don’t own a dog. But neighbors on both sides of me do, which they let free-range in spite of our leash laws. I know they come in my yard because they leave deposits behind 😡 but it never occurred to me that they might be eating my grass!!

My dogs loved it too…and if they ate it, I figured all manner of critter would eat it. Mine always looked moth eaten.

tj

Not In a cold zone but I grow hakone grass and have a dog. He has never touched it! Nor have the deer, the odd bunny or two that survives the local coyotes or slugs and snails.

My dog (put down last year at 18) would eat grass, but I thought it was due to her having digestive issues. Anyhow, that's an interesting bit of info on dogs and hakone. I guess there's only one way to find out how it will perform on the trundra.

Dogs here didn’t bother it in the first two years when we had it as a filler in pots but as soon as we planted it in the ground, they started eating it! It’s the only thing we’ve planted that they have taken that approch to so I figured there must be some very dog-attractive scent given off by it when it is at an easily accessible level for them :-) If you have a dog, pay attention to what is happening if you also have this plant!

I am in Wisconsin and planted mine under the shade of a norway maple. Bad choice. I had to water every day or my golden Jap forest grass was not happy! I presume the roots of the maple were sucking up all the water. After a while I got tired and let it go. They died. I thought the site would be perfect as part shade but not so. Just mentioning it as you wanted to plant yours underneath oak trees.

Paul, maples are notorious for being difficult to garden under, especially Norway and Silver. Oaks have deeper roots and are more amenable for gardening under.

My dog and my neighbors’ dogs eat field and lawn grasses but have shown no interest in my hakone grass.