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The variegated form of the Sweet Rush
is a pretty foliage plant for a damp location (the flowers are sufficiently sporadic to cause no offense).
I like variegated plants, and there are a few that manage to turn variegation into an asset and an addition to an already good plant. Anything
with tall spiky foliage stands a chance of being improved by a broad white stripe, and this is a shining example. Unfortunately in the trade off
with beauty, it has lost much of the sensational fragrance of the green leaved form. The Missouri Botanical Garden say: "Acorus calamus commonly called sweet flag is a deciduous, spreading, marginal aquatic perennial that features iris-like, sword-shaped leaf blades (to 3/4” wide) typically growing in basal clumps to 30” tall. It is a sterile triploid. Although native to Europe, it was introduced into North America by settlers in the 1600s, and has naturalized over time throughout much of the U.S. (particularly in the northeast and central portions) including a number of counties in the State of Missouri. Mature leaves have one slightly wavy edge and a prominent midrib. Plants thrive in wet, boggy soils and are commonly grown today as foliage accents in water gardens and pond margins. Insignificant tiny greenish flowers appear in elongated inflorescences (spadixes to 2-4" long without showy spathes), which appear in late spring. Flowers may give way to tiny fleshy berries. 'Variegatus' features variegated leaf blades that are striped with white and green." The North Carolina Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox says: "Because of its attractive foliage, Variegated Sweet Flag is often used as an accent plant in moist to wet sites or in standing water. To grow in a water gardens, plant rhizomes slightly below the soil surface in moist soils at the water’s edge or in containers set in shallow water. " |
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| 12th November 2008 | ||