Recs. for Bog in Zone 9 (Mediterranean)

[Nanook]

Hi Folks,

My D. adelae are not too happy in my new bog garden here in the West Side of Los Angeles. Too much light seems to be the issue, as they appear dry. This can't be, as I gotsta have some Drosera in there.

Anyway, what Drosera have you successfully grown outside year-round in conditions like coastal SoCal / AKA Zone 9 / AKA a Mediterranean climate? The bigger, the better IMO.

Thanks!

-N

 

[seedjar]

D. adelae is actually a shady species! They grow in moist woodlands in northwest Austrailia if I remember correctly, liking higher humidity than most sundews, and are related to D. prolifera and schizandra, which have similar habits. If you put it in dappled shade it might be happier, or bring it inside and give it a window with just morning or indirect sun. I'm not in SoCal, but I'm in zone 8/9 and I have great success with the temperates - D. anglica, alicea, filiformis, intermedia and spatulata. The only tropicals I've tried so far are D. capensis and D. scorpioides, and they did well, but I brought them in as the weather got colder and wetter as we get plenty of frost up here. I understand binata complex plants are good candidates as well, but the venerable Bugweed tells me that binata is too prodigious a plant to set loose in a bog garden - perhaps confine it to a sunken container if you want to put it in. I'm sure plenty of local growers will chime in with advice for you.
Best luck,
~Joe

 

[Rubra]

Yeah, adelae might not be the best one to try outside. That's definitely a high-humidity plant. Try: D. capensis, aliceae, cappillaris, sphatulata, binata, filiformis, anglica, rotundifolia, burmanii, and occidentalis just to name a few. Our climate works not only for the North American dews, but also many of the Australian and South African as well. Even climers like peltata grow outside just fine.

See if you can come to one of the next LACPS meetings!

Peter