SARRACENIA FLAVA - CARNIVOROUS PITCHER PLANT
While my garden is winding down for the winter with not too much to do for the moment, my focus has turned to my indoor plants. Of interest lately are carnivorous plants. I know they sound rather grim, but they can be very beautiful. My sundews, Drosera capensis and Drosera Capensis Alba, sadly became infested with greenfly and started to decline. I tried to save them but as you cannot safely spray carnivorous plants with a pesticide (apparently), I threw them in the bin before the aphids attacked the rest of my houseplants. However, the Sarracenia smoorii is doing tremendously and has about doubled its size. I feed it recently deceased flies that had the nerve to invade my home and I have also bought the fish food, dehydrated blood worms (I did mention it was grim, didn't I?), which I rehydrate and pop with tweezers down the plant's greedy pitchers. Yum. My latest plant, Sarracenia flava is very pretty (the below photos don't do it justice).
I popped the two Sarracenias outside yesterday as it was sunny with very little breeze and a brave little hoverfly took a like to it. It was enjoying the sticky substance the plant produces to attract insects which are then supposed to fall down the pitchers. However, this was one smart little hoverfly and after taking its fill, it just flew away. I wouldn't have let the little fly die as hoverflies are good for the garden.
The label for Sarracenia flava says: This bog plant prefers a bright position. Place the pot in a saucer with much water [I understand that rainwater is the best and safest].
Growing Sarracenia (external website).
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| Sarracenia flava with Sarracenia smoorii in the background |
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| Sarracenia flava |
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| Sarracenia flava |
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| Sarracenia flava |
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| Hoverfly dining on Sarracenia flava |
The label for Sarracenia flava says: This bog plant prefers a bright position. Place the pot in a saucer with much water [I understand that rainwater is the best and safest].
Growing Sarracenia (external website).