Suggestions on Mom's day bog garden gift

[KDodds]

Okay, I'm thinking about making a small, container, bog garden for my wife for mother's day. She kind of is the reason I started keeping CPs anyway, trying to nurse her pitcherless Nepenthes back to pitchering (it's otherwise very healthy).

I'm planning on using an 18" Fiskars Terra Bowl, 5.75" deep. This will be kept outside from April/May through October/November, depending on temps. Once temps fall below freezing, it will be brought into a sheltered, unheated, garage. What I'd like to have is 2-3 taller Sarracenia species or hybrids, 1-2 lower growing Sarracenia species or hybrids, at least 1 Sundew species, maybe 2-3 VFT varieties, and possibly, if available, 1-2 Pinguicula species. Looking for recommendations on species here as all of my research thus far has been into (mostly) tropicals and subtropicals/warm temperates. I'm definitely not looking for rarities or anything like that. My wife wouldn't know, or care, one from the other. But I am looking for a more colorful mixed variety that aren't too expensive and will actually look like something in a pot that large this season. Obviously, I'm not looking for 1-2yo plants here, but something that will at least be presentable as something more than "seedlings" to someone not so much into CP growing as they are into CP looking.

 

[eou812]

Sounds GREAT she should love it! Let us know how it works out!

 

[Huntsmanshorn]

For the sarrs its kind of hard to recommend, there are just to many and its kind of up to your personal taste. I guess I would say anything with Sarracenia leucophylla in it, hard to go wrong if that is one of the parents or at least its prominent in a complex cross. I wouldn't bother with any of the recumbent Sarrs, since they would probably take up to much room in such a small pot. For the sundew you might try Drosera filiformis filiformis, D. x Hybrida or D. dichotoma. The problem dichotoma is they can get a little big and it will most likely spread in the pot. Hybrida is a great size and a lovely plant but can be prone to rot in the spring. With the vfts I would try one Akai Ryu and an all yellow variety and grow them somewhat close together so the leaves can intermingle a bit. As to the Pinguecula, I don't think I would bother with any pings. They don't really like as much sun as the rest of the plants, and although you can plant them in such a way that they are shaded by the sarrs, they would then be harder to see and appreciate, so whats the point. Lastly, I would be careful not to over plant the pot. To many plants crammed together will look crowded and unkempt, as well as make it difficult for some of the plants to get as much light as they might wish. Remember that you can always add a few latter if you decide you have enough room. Anyway, just my two cents. Good luck!

 

[KDodds]

That's pretty much where I'm going after doing a bit more mulling around. I was thinking S. 'Tarnok' or S. 'Titan', S. minor, S. 'catasbaei' or S. 'Mitchelliana', and S. 'Scarlet Belle'. Those all seem easy to get, as do the Drosera and VFTs. I don't know how much she'd like a yellow variety, but it's worth a go. In an 18" pot would 'Tarnok', minor, 'Mitchelliana', 'Scarlet Belle' for Sarrs, D. filiformis (maybe red?), and three VFTs seem reasonable? I'm not really accustomed to buying on-line, so what "sizes" should I look for? Would most vendors' "medium" plants reasonably produce something nice looking this year? Or would I need to go "large"?

 

[Huntsmanshorn]

I would avoid the Scarlet Belle since it can eventually take over a fair bit of space, and the pitchers rarely open without help. Catasbaei and Mitchelliana are beauties, however they can tip over when the pitchers fill with rain water, but if you don't mind that, then either should be okay. A Tarnok or Titan might be alright and will look spectacular. Minor is nice and, assuming you don't get an "Okefenokee giant", would probably be the best choice for your size pot considering those plants you are interested in. Three vfts shouldn't be too bad, and if you don't like the idea of a yellow form, then there are many other options. Since they all grow pretty much the same, its really just a matter of finding trap/leaf shape/size and coloring combinations that you find appealing. After all, just because I like the contrast between a dark red vft and a lighter yellow vft doesn't me you, or your wife, have to! One thing though, at least in my opinion, is that vfts seem to prefer things a bit dryer than leucophylla. Its not a big deal, but you might want to keep it in mind. Finally, I would say medium sized plants are fine. Older plants are great, but personally, I don't think they're worth the extra money.

 

[KDodds]

I did go with the yellow, and an Akai Ryu and a Dente. I prefer closer to typical coloration myself, hence the Dente. The Yellow was quite pricey, but overall not horrible considering the price of medium side Sarrs. I did go with the Scarlet Belle, mostly because it's a favorite and excluding it would have been pretty much out of the question. This and a medium S. purpurea will be center pot, towards the front. I think I have to justify myself before I continue by saying that my wife LOVES packed pots, and I have no problem splitting or repotting next spring. Okay, for the back of the pot I went with a mix of larger and medium sized Sarrs, larger will go more towards the back, smaller will go between these and the two "centerpiece" low growers. I went with S. minor, alata, flava and rubra wild-types, and Tarnok, Dana's Delight, Judith Hindle, Mardi Gras, Excellens and Mitchelliana cultivars. I also threw in a non-CP, Grass Pink (Calopogon pulchellus) because my wife loves orchids and it's native, and, since the one white species I could find native to NY was also protected in NY, it was the only real choice. The VFTs will be front and center. To the left of the "center piece" I'm going with Drosera filiformis, typical and white form. To the right, D. dichotoma, red form. To "fill in" I'm going to try Cranberry (another of my wife's favorites) and, of course, live Sphagnum.

I've a few places on my property that stay kind of damp. These are growing year-to-year, slowly but surely. They're suspiciously spongy and the moss growing there is suspiciously Sphagnum-like, but I don't want to mess with it, or with what might happen in the pot with this "unknown", so I ordered a clump of moss.

If I can get a decent picture when finished, I'll post it.