What's eating my sweet flag?

Sweet Flag grown in or beside water can attract aphids on new shoots and leaf miners that tunnel through foliage. Slugs and snails graze leaves in damp margins. Japanese beetles may feed on foliage in parts of the US. It is largely avoided by deer and rabbits due to its aromatic foliage.

Soft colonies on young shoots and leaf tips causing distortion and sticky honeydew. Knock off with a firm water spray; apply insecticidal soap, taking care around water bodies to avoid runoff.

Pale, winding tunnels or blotches within leaves as larvae feed between leaf surfaces. Remove and destroy affected leaves promptly; no effective chemical control once tunnelling begins.

Ragged notches and holes in leaves, particularly on plants at water margins; slime trails present. Hand-pick; use iron phosphate pellets away from open water; introduce natural predators such as frogs.