🌿 Maranta arundinacea — Edible Arrowroot

Bring a lush, tropical feel to your garden with Maranta arundinacea, also known as Arrowroot. This hardy, clumping perennial is prized for its edible rhizomes — a traditional, easily digested starch that’s perfect for gluten-free cooking — and it does look great!

💚 Why Grow Arrowroot?

Arrowroot is a fantastic multi-purpose plant: – 🥦 Edible roots for healthy cooking and thickening sauces or desserts – 🌿 Useful mulch and chop-and-drop plant in food forests and permaculture gardens. 

It’s a reliable and easy-to-grow plant great  for sustainable, low-maintenance gardens.

🌞 Growing Conditions

🌤️ Sun: Prefers full sun to part shade 💧 Water: Loves regular watering but tolerates short dry spells once established 🌱 Soil: Rich, loose, well-drained soil with plenty of compost or organic matter 🌡️ Temperature: Grows best in warm, frost-free climates; light frost may burn the leaves, but plants usually reshoot in spring 🌿 Growth habit: Forms a tidy clump around 1 m tall; spreads slowly via underground rhizomes. 

🌺 In Your Garden

Arrowroot’s lush leaves make it perfect for tropical-style gardens. The clump spreads around 50 cm or more. Plant it in back borders, or in mixed beds for a soft, green backdrop or fill in gaps. 

🌏 Local Tips for Port Stephens & Coastal NSW

Arrowroot thrives in our warm coastal climate. Give it a little protection from cold winter winds or frost, and it will bounce back strongly each year. It loves compost-rich soil and plenty of summer moisture — ideal for subtropical and temperate gardens across the Hunter and Mid-North Coast.

🌿 Summary

– 🌞 Full sun to part shade – 💧 Regular watering – 🌱 Rich, loose soil – 🌡️ Light frost tolerant (dies back, regrows) – 🪴 Great for food forests, edible landscapes & back borders.