Pitcher plant

Pitcher plants are one of those cool carnivorous plants; they can devour insects. But don't let this amazing fact overshadow their inherent beauty. They produce fascinating pendant chartreuse or purple flowers in spring. Pitcher plants are fascinating to grow, and adapt well to containers where the plants can be observed up close. In mild regions, they can also be grown in acid bog gardens. They do not need a diet of insects -- the insects are attracted by nectar at the base of the pitchers and slide down and drown in collected liquid at the base. The tall pitchers of some species are cut and dried for indoor arrangements, but only remove a few to retain the vitality of the plants.

Light:

Sun,Part Sun

Zones:

2-10

Plant Type:

Perennial,Water/Bog Plant

Plant Height:

4-42 inches tall, depending on variety

Plant Width:

3 feet wide

Flower Color:

Pink, purple red, chartreuse green flowers, depending on variety

Bloom Time:

Blooms in spring

Landscape Uses:

Containers,Beds & Borders

Special Features:

Flowers,Attractive Foliage,Cut Flowers,Dried Flowers,Tolerates Wet Soil,Deer Resistant

Top Varieties

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Yellow pitcher plant

(Sarracenia flava) has upright narrow leaves adapted into pitchers with round mouths and a semi-upright open flap covering them. Their nodding long-petalled flowers are chartreuse and appear in spring. They grow about 3 feet tall. Zones 7-10.
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Plant It With

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Primrose

The tall, tiered whorls of white, pink, or red Japanese primroses contrast well with common pitcher plant in sunny, wet and boggy places.

Rush

The curiously curled cylindrical stems of corkscrew rush provide an interesting foil for pitcher plants in wet places.

Propagation

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Seed
Division