Acorus Gramineus Variegatus

Acorus Gramineus Variegatus or Variegated Slender Sweet Flag is a very interesting ornamental grass. A member of the Acoraceae family, with origins in Southeast Asia from the Himalayas to the Philippines, Acorus are of a deciduous or semi-evergreen type. They are rhizomatous perennials that love moisture. Variegatus have a compact and tufted growth habit. It is considered a semi-evergreen perennial which grows to approximately 30-35 cm in height and spread. They can spread to 1 metre and a height of 50 cm eventually.

Some characteristic and unique features of the Variegated Slender Sweet Flag include tufts of linear, strap-like or sword-shaped leaves with distinctive creamy yellow margins. They produce an insignificant spike-like flower which emerge near the tips of central leaf-like stems.

Acorus Gramineus Variegatus can tolerate cold weather, grows to the H6 Hardiness Zone (minus 20) and prefers moderate to full sun and a somewhat sheltered environment. It requires very little maintenance other than perhaps a trim after the foliage has died back in autumn while leaving a little material to protect new shoots.

The Variegated Slender Sweet Flag adds a beautiful flowing look to your garden, cottage gardens, meadows, waterside, bog gardens, or as ground cover. The fan shaped tufts of narrow leaves resemble a grass or sedge, perhaps even a miniature Iris, though completely unrelated to these groups. All Acorus prefer and thrive in moist soil, and will quickly establish themselves in low ground-covering clumps. They can withstand flooding, and will grow even in a boggy soil or at a water marginal area, and even in standing shallow water!

The shimmering silvery quality to the leaves of Acorus Gramineus Variegatus will brighten the dark corners of your garden even in the depths of winter.
As would be expected with a preference for moist soil, Variegated Slender Sweet Flag will grow in clay, loam, or chalky soil, and is not terribly picky on pH, doing well in acid, alkaline, or neutral soils.

So if you’re in search of a plant for those wet corners, along the water edge, as a ground cover, or something to brighten up your bog garden, Acorus Gramineus Variegatus Variegated Slender Sweet Flag makes for an interesting choice.

An interesting rhizomatous plant that spreads and fills in by underground roots and is easy to maintain; the Variegated Slender Sweet Flag makes a beautiful ornamental grass type plant to complete your landscape or wet area!