Pitcher Plants

Spring has sprung, summer is closing in.  My pitcher plants are showing their

exotic blooms.  These plants are fascinating at all stages of development. The

green-yellow flower is Sarracenia flava and the red is S. leucophylla.  Please search

for and read an earlier post on bog gardens for how to plant and care for these beauties!

Field Trip: Botanique, a Pitcher Plant Nursery and Preservation Program

My husband and I recently made a field trip visit to Botanique, a pitcher (and other) plant nursery near Stanardsville, VA, owned by Robert Sacilotto and Butch Bailey http://www.pitcherplant.com/

I am seldom at a loss for words, but this is one of those times.

It is said that a "picture is worth a thousand words" right?  Or is that "pitcher?"  These plants are just stunning.  Above is one small area of one bed in one of the gardens at the nursery.

The greenhouse is in the left background of this photo, where the tropical plants are kept.

Sarracenia alata or S. alata x rubra, one of the exotic pitchers with unusual coloring.

More pitcher profusion.

 Pitchers and pink calapogon orchids.

Robert gave us a tour of the nursery and a more knowledgeable horticulturalist I have never met.  The nursery is more than a wholesale and retail sales enterprise, Robert and Butch are working to preserve many species of pitcher plants, some endangered.  In other cases, Robert rescues whole colonies of plants where they are threatened by development.  Robert hopes to apply for tax-exempt status and one day start a foundation dedicated to the preservation of these wonderful native and exotic plants.

From a consumer perspective, I received excellent service. My plants arrived in perfect condition with all the instructions I needed to plant them.  The website contains lots of good information on growing these gems.  Building a bog bed is not difficult.  If you like these exotic plants, and have a sunny spot, I highly recommend growing them... and this nursery!

Happy gardening!

Pitcher Plant Update

As promised, here is an update of pitcher plant progress.  The plants are reveling in their new home.  The mahogany-red blossoms are the Sarracenia leucophylla, the lime-green pitchers are from S. flava (they had their flower buds trimmed off for packing and shipping).  The reddish one in the center, back, seems to be one that is different from what I ordered (it does not match the two varieties), but it is welcome to make its home with us.

Happy gardening!

Baby Bug Eaters

Wonder what the plant "pitchered" above is?  It is a Sarracenia, or pitcher plant.  This species is native to North America and I have been lusting after it for years.  So, why haven't I grown one before?  Though not hugely difficult, pitcher plants require highly specialized circumstances in which to grow.  These plants thrive in sun-drenched bogs with low pH and NO nitrogen.  In fact, the easiest way to kill this plant is to give it fertilizer!  Let me explain...

Pitcher plants evolved in acidic, low nutrient, boggy situations.  Unlike a pond, a bog is not always filled with water, but it is always moist.  So, it needs some drainage, but not a lot.  All plants need nitrogen and the pitcher plant is no exception, but acidic bogs have little to no nitrogen.  So, like Venus flytraps (also native to the US) the pitcher plant is carnivorous.  No, it does not have a hinged, mouth-like trap that snaps.  Instead, after the plant flowers (the photo above is of its flower bud- and a very exotic looking flower it is: go to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Sarracenia_alata_flowers.jpg   for some photos)

-it sends up a hollow tube, filled with a digestive enzyme and downward pointing hairs.  Bugs, attracted by some nectar, fly into the tube, but cannot get out: those downward hairs act like lances to them. So, they drop down further and further into the pitcher, seeking a way out. Finally exhausted, the bugs fall into the enzyme and are slowly consumed by the plant, becoming its main source of nitrogen.

Building the bog bed was not difficult,  First, clear an area, making it level.  Line it with small opening garden cloth (wire fencing) to keep voles out.  Then, build your sides- I used landscaping rock.  You need to measure the area for a butyl pond liner, or you can use 4-6 ml plastic sheeting, enough to overlap the top of he wall.  Poke holes every foot or so in the base of the liner (you need some drainage) and line the bottom with sand. Then add a 1:3 mix of sand an peat moss, both wetted (it can take a while to get peat moss wet, so do not plant immediately).  I then placed a soaker hose over the top (and I did bury one in the bed itself, with the end above the bed, incorporated into the wall for later watering) and set to drip for 8 hours or overnight.  When the peat is thoroughly wetted (dig a little and you will see if it is), you are set to plant!  First, adjust the edges of the liner, covering them with whatever material you used to make the bog walls.

I bought my plants from a nursery in Stanardsville, VA that specializes in carnivorous plants and does some retail business:

http://www.pitcherplant.com/

Retail orders must be $100 at least, but this is not hard to do!  I planted two varieties, S. flava and S. leucophylla.  Watch this space for future updates and photos!

If you don't want to plant your own or don't have the room,  Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden has some great varieties, in bloom today (May 5) for the next few weeks!  At: http://www.lewisginter.org/

Happy gardening!