Well, I would say the local euonymus looks like... like it was mangled by a hurricane, or a blind person tried to prune it, or all the branches flatten out except for 3 that stick up in the air. Also, I think it reverts to green sometimes, and the mottled color isn't very attractive on this plant.
Oh, I just had a thought... what if I plant hakone in containers and plant some perennial tulips around it? When it's time to give the grass a haircut in Feb/March, the tulips could take over. By the time the tulips' leaves turn yellow, the new grass leaves would be out to hide them.
