sweet flag
Acorus calamus
USDA zones4 to 10
SunHandles full sun to partial sun
WaterHandles moist to wet soil
Size2 to 2.5 feet tall18 to 24 inches wide
- Growth rate
- Moderate
- Habit
- Clumping
- Bloom season
- Spring, summer, autumn
- Bloom color
- Green, insignificant
- Foliage color
- Green
- Soil types
- Sand, loam, clay
- Soil pH
- Acid, alkaline, neutral
Garden uses
Notes
Sweet flag (Acorus calamus) is a grass for containers, rain gardens, and shade gardens. It is hardy to USDA zone 4, or down to -30°F (-34°C). This plant likes full or part sun and moist to wet, sandy, loamy, or clay soil. It forms a clump of green leaves that grows 24 to 30 inches tall and 18 to 24 inches wide. The foliage is fragrant, and the green flowers are easy to miss.
Pairs well with Cinnamon fern, Golden Tiara hosta, and Red trillium.
Native range
North America and Asia.