What's new
TerraForums Venus Flytrap, Nepenthes, Drosera and more talk

Register a free account today to become a member! Once signed in, you'll be able to participate on this site by adding your own topics and posts, as well as connect with other members through your own private inbox!

What types of Butterworts and Sundews would you recommend for growing conditions in Dallas, TX? On this web page you'll find all of the temp and precipitation info for my area, year round.

http://www.weather.com/weather/climatology/monthly/75019

I know I've got to beware the TX sun, and as Spring comes closer, I will come up with some sort of sun protection for the plants. I was thinking some tall lattice with a vine with many leaves growing from it to provide the added protection.

I've got a bog garden in a rigid pond liner, which I've built a waterproof "wall" around the liner which I can fill to the brim with water, basically using the tray method on large scale for watering.

The bog garden itself is about 24 inches deep, and perhaps 4 feet in diameter, a complete circular shape. If you need more info on the size, I can run outside and get the exact measurements.

The bog garden is located next to a tall fence with viney over hanging growth above it, and a 14,000 gallon swimming pool only a few feet away. Morning sun is the first to strike the garden, and pretty much shining on the garden all day long too. But the added shade of the lattice that I'll be adding would be to shade the plants from midday sun. Planting Media is 50% Canadian Sphagnum Peat Moss, and 50% Perlite.

In an arc shape in the back of my bog, I've collected a number of large tall Sarracenias, and in the front in an arc shape, I've collected many VFTs, many different varieties. In the circle in the middle, I keep my low growing Pitcher Plants, like venosa.

I've built the bog garden and collected all of these plants late this fall, while most if not all were in hibernation, but very much alive.

I still have enough room in there for a variety of Sundews and Butterworts, and would very much like to add them in. I'm still very much a novice in the world of Carnivorous Plants, especially when it comes to anything else than VFTs, so I'd say the only restrictions on the plants is my local climate, and that they be well suited for a novice. :eek:)

Also, any Nepenthes that could be kept outside year round for my area? I don't think there are any, but I thought it wouldn't hurt to ask. Thanks a bunch!

~Christine
& Lucy the Giant Schnauzer
http://www.hometown.aol.com/applecaketearoom/home.html
 
Try some of the temperates and annual drosera located in Texas. Its hot and not that humid there, but you might get by with any US form of D.capillaries, like 'alba' or 'typical'. They do great outdoors, and if kept warm and well lite during the winter, will survive for more then 2 years (despite it being an annual). Also, some of those hard to kill South Africans might do well. Some are:

Drosera capensis
Drosera alicaie

No promise
wink.gif



It might be nice to plant the sundews on the base of your sarracenias.


A Pinguicula that might do well if given some shade is ionantha.

Good luck-Zach
 
First, welcome to the Forums! I hope you will like it here and have many of your questions answered.

After reviewing your average lows, I can say that you have numerous possibilities for the bog garden. Possibilities include (in order of probable hardieness) Drosera: rotundifolia, intermedia, anglica, filiformis var filiformis, filiformis var tracyi. These are hardy North American temperate species.

Drosera brevifolia, capillaris are also American species but might need some protection from winter lows and summer highs.

The South African droserae species in my collection have been able to take occasional freezes: capensis, dielsiana, natalensis, aliciae, slackii (but I have no experience with long term cultivation in these conditions). They can take the heat as well.

The Australian pygmy species are also marginally frost tolerant: pygmaea in particular is known to take frosts well, esp. the New Zealand form. The others are worth experimenting with too. If you would like some gemmae to sow and experiment with, I can provide you with a quantity of unnamed material to test.

I am unsure which of the North American Pinguicula can handle the winter cold if it freezes, but I think P. ionatha, lutea and possibly planifolia might. You might try asking on the Pinguicula forum.

If you can find a way to provide less sun and higher humidity in the summer months the European Pinguicula will survive your winters.

Cold will not be the issue I think, rather the hot and dry summers will be a challenge. I hope this helps a little, but keep in mind this is mainly speculation based on limited observation. I have observed the short term effect of frost on many of these species, which stood up to temps. of 28F: hard to imagine, but true. D. capensis continued to grow after 3 nights of being froze solid, and recent (and sad) evidence shows me that many of these species can take a total freeze and continue to grow.
 
Back
Top