I just bought a Camellia "Bonanza" for my Winter Garden... yay!
I'm surprised, and dissapointed, no one's menchioned carnivorous plants. They would do so well in a nice hot conservatory... but don't just go buying any carnivorous plant! You'll be settin' yourself up for failure. They're not fickle, but they're often already dead when they're sold to you.
So... if you do want a carnivorous plant, don't get a venus fly trap. I lied. The fly traps are fickle, the rest of them aren't. Nepenthes is beautiful, perfect in a conservatory, and would look great amongst palms, but is too expensive of a first time carnivorous plant. The problem with carnivorous plants is that they're just so darn easy, people mess it up and kill them. Thus, you don't want to make a huge investment until you're in love with them. Also, avoid the Darlingtonia california (Cobra Lily). You probably could grow the Cobra Lily outdoors, but your conservatory has far too much light for our little American friend here.
Like me.
That leaves, basically, Drosera (Sundew), Pinguicula (Butterwort), Darlingtonia carlifornia (Cobra Lily) and Sarracenia (Trumpet Pitcher). Sundew has long, thin leaves covered with sticky tenticles. When a bug lands on it, the bug gets stuck and the sundew latches on and the leaf even wraps around it. It's the prettiest one, I think, because it sparkles (that's the sticky stuff) before it kills something. The Butterwort disolves microorganisms underground, so no cool carnivorous display. But you get very nice orchid-like flowers, and many of them.
The Cobra Lily and the Trumpet Pitcher, both North American natives, are going to want things on the cooler side... for a carnivorous plant: around 70-80F (where as the others could have taken up to around 100F). The Trumpet Pitcher lures bugs with a scent. When the bugs land and eat some of the nectar, they find it's narcotic. The bugs, now drugged, fall into the plant. Just incase the bugs wake up, the Trumpet Pitcher has downward pointing hairs to prevent any last minute escapes as the bug is being dissolved.
Though this would be a bad choice for your situation, I must talk more about the Cobra Lily since it is my favorite and looks, in fact, like a cobra..
If you look closely, there are little "windows" inside the Cobra Lily. The bug goes in, and he enters a fun house of horrors. The bug, searching for an exit, is tricked by the windows, thinking they're the way out (they produce more light than the exit), and then the bugs fall down into the plant, then are trapped by downward pointing hairs.
Now, how the heck to take care of them
Easy. Really, very very easy.
A) Keep them in living spagnum moss, if you can. I've been surpised, when I do get lured by the dying plants I see in Target (guys, Target is a baaad place to buy plants, just so you know) they are in living spagnum moss. Only thing is, you'll need more of it.
B) Don't feed them. Anything. No fertilizers, no "good" soil (see above, that's the least nutritional soil possible), no water with nummy stuff in it, and no bugs. Just... leave them alone. Fertilizers and minerals in soil and water will make their roots get clogged up. They just can't take it. The reason they developed the carnivorous side is because they couldn't get nutrients from those sources in their environment. Their structures don't know how to handle it. So, leave them to rainwater (just keep some cups sitting out) or distilled water. I've noticed that my Cobra Lily does not mind in the slightest bit if I half the "good" water (rain/distilled) with tap water. And don't feed it bugs. They get bugs fine on their own. You'll over feed them and they'll DIE! DIE DIE DIE!
C) Water it a lot. These plants tend to either be bog plants, or tropical plants. They need a lot of water. Some, like the bladderwort, like to sit in water, where as my Cobra Lily likes to have water flush through its roots.
D) Humidity. Depending on which species you pick, and depending on how humid you keep your conservatory, you may feel you need to keep your carnivorous plants in a terrarium. I've been hearing tropical plants on this list, but also some succulents? You wont need to sprizt your plants like they're the last human (see Doctor Who season 2005 episode 2) but if you just plop them in an old fish tank with the top off, if you have a very dry place, they're be much happier.
What do I do with my carnies? They (Trumpet Pitchers and Cobra Lilies, my babies) stay outside on my porch. Seriously. I just go out and water them when I take my medicine and brush my teeth and they're fine.
So... yay carnivorous plants! They eat things! |
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