As far as I know, and I don't have any Hakone, it's a warm season deciduous grass, so it needs to be cut back like the rest of them. It's a very slow grower, but it does grow eventually.

I'm in my second year of Nasella tenuissima (AKA Stipa tenuissima) and most of mine seem to have survived the winter outside. You may have kilt it by bringing it inside. It's way too dry in a house in the winter for a grass like this to live. I'd shave it to the ground, and put it outside to see if it revives, but I wouldn't expect it to do it. If you keep it inside, dead, it'll make a mess eventually. It sounds like it's compost heap time.

Regarding the Stipa-- check the roots first, before you toss it. If they look viable, plumpish and tan colored, take it outside to a lightly shaded area, and soak it well in a very weak Miracle Gro/ water solution. If the roots look black, or decayed or dried out it is probably a goner, but give it a try anyway, just don't expect too much.

Hakone is a very slow grower, and I would not cut it back until I see an inch or so of new growth and then cut it back to about an inch or two.

I don't think taking it inside was its death sentence...Pony Tails are extrememly drought tolerant. I'd plant it outside once it's warm enough, trim it back to a couple inches above its base, and more than likely, it'll shoot up new growth at about a 1/4 a day...it's a fast grower. I'm in zone 7 so it might be a good idea for you to bring it indoors during your winters, or just mulch it heavily. Good luck

Thanks everyone! I checked the roots (could have done that in the first place--lol) and they are thin, tan, there is many. I am calling it healthy looking. It is fairly moist still also. I figured that it could take being dry over the winter since it is so drought tolerant. I'm going to plant it out soon & hope for the best. I have a feeling it will be ok. I hope so since I am cutting it back. I'm sure I will be able to get another if it doesn't work out. Thanks again!

Just be sure to accustom it slowly to outdoors, a few hours at a time for a week or so, don't shock the poor thing, it's come so far....

Hi all,
I am gardening in zone 8 and have questions about the same two plants. I have a number of Mexican Feather grasses stipa/Nasella/ponytails) that I have been treating like my other warm season grasses--that is, cutting them very low to the ground at the end of winter. They are much slower to come out that any other of my warm season grasses, however. I'm wondering if I should have cut them back at all. As to the Hakone Aurea, I have recently purchased it, and the only thing I do know is that I must plant it in full shade in our climate. I have no idea how to take care of it other than that. Any suggestions you may have are appreciated.
Thanks,
Kay

Hey Kay: Since you brought the post back, I'll give it a shot.

The ponytails: I don't cut them back. I comb them out in late Winter to pull the dead chaff out (and you may pull a few pieces up, root and all doing this, which is a form of division, however unintentional....I just potted up these pieces and they seem to be growing....so that was a happy accident). I don't water mine much during our dry season and they look great....very low maintenance plant.

Hakone: I have 4. Here, they die back when Winter comes and then send out new growth in early Spring. They look pretty good now, but later in the Summer, they don't look so nice....might be getting too much hot sun. There has never been a need for me to cut them back at the end of growing season. They are a very pretty grass and I am learning about them through experience...I may need to move them into more shade eventually. They seem to be tuff plants...they come back each Spring. Cheers.

I cut back my Hakone grass in early spring because the old leaves were brown and dried up. It started sprouting new leaves soon after. If your's has already started putting out new leaves, I would leave it alone unless you can trim the old leaves without harming the new ones.

Feather grass is not reliably hardy where I live (NC). However, most of mine survived this past winter, which was very mild. The one that didn't survive was in a container outdoors, which doesn't surprise me because the roots would be much more exposed to cold temperatures. I cut back my feather grasses that survived winter, but not as low to the ground as most other ornamental grasses.

You just never know until you try!
i find Stipa tenuissima winters well some years here in Z5. The key for me is to plant it in a VERY well drained location. Winter wet is a sure killer. I planted a new patch of 7 plants last summer & they all came through the winter.
As for cutting back, they had new growth showing very early in the spring so ... i just combed them out & gave them a very light trim.

As for the Hakone, here in Zone 5 the foliage dies back in the winter & the new grass shoots come from the crown so i always cut mine back in the early spring along with all the other grasses.

btw, mgood4u - did your stipa survive?? you should be seeing some green by now.

Dumb question alert!!! Re combing your Stipa, do you just use a regular 'ole comb? I grew a couple of Stipa from seed last year and am thrilled that they are still alive but have been unsure about what to do w/them also.

Kay, I'm in zone 8 also but in the NW so this may not help you (TX has a very different climate than WA)... but I didn't cut back my stipa at all. They were really pleasant all winter, very graceful in the breezes. Some leaves turned yellow but not very many... So far I've only combed them lightly with my fingers. Lucy, that's not a dumb question, and I suppose it's possible some people do use a wide-tooth comb. For really large and coarse grasses I've used a rake. But for a lot of them, I just use my fingers. Wear gloves if you do that with coarser grasses so you don't slice your fingers! (not a problem with stipa).

I had many new ones come up from seed so I've been moving some of those around.

As for hakone, the first year I had it I didn't cut it back at all and because we had a mild winter, it stayed green (well, not green, but you know what I mean) :) all winter. This past winter the cold caused a lot of die-back. I didn't cut them back until very early spring (Feb.). In colder zones the die-back is a given but in warmer ones I think it's worth waiting.

Thank you Carol Ann!

I do not cut my Mexican Feather Grass back either. I comb it with my hands. It is evergreen here.

I do cut the dead stems of my Japanese Forest Grass back though. They die off at soil level here and I really just grab them with my hands rather than have to cut like I do the fountain and maiden grasses.