North American carnivorous perennial with tubular “pitchers” that lure and trap insects. Bold, upright form and striking veining make it a natural focal point in bog shelves and shallow, saturated zones.
Sarracenia evolved in nutrient-poor bogs and gets much of its nutrition from insects. Early naturalists called them “trumpet pitchers” and noted their umbrella-like spring flowers.
Use rainwater or distilled water only. Tap water minerals and fertilizer can kill bog carnivores.
Ideal for a bog shelf inside the liner or a dedicated bog pocket fed by your feature. Keep the root zone constantly wet. Works in shallow trays or mini-bogs plumbed to the system for steady moisture.
Use in small clusters for vertical accents. Contrast their upright pitchers with fine-textured sedges and moss. Place where visitors can see the pitchers up close. Bright forms pop against dark stone and shadow.
Blue flag iris (Iris versicolor), marsh marigold (Caltha palustris), sedges (Carex spp.), soft rush (Juncus effusus), sundews (Drosera spp.), bog moss.
Flowers support pollinators in spring. Dense clumps create microhabitat at the water’s edge. Insect capture modestly reduces nuisance bugs around seating areas.
Sun: Full sun
Moisture: Constantly wet or saturated
Soil: Acidic, nutrient-poor media such as long-fiber sphagnum with sand or perlite
Notes: No fertilizer. Use rainwater, RO, or distilled only
Remove dead pitchers in late winter to early spring. Keep media wet year-round. Provide winter dormancy outdoors where hardy, or keep cool and bright if protected. Divide clumps only when crowded.
I like to place Sarracenia on a shallow bog shelf where water laps at the surface. They look especially striking tucked behind a piece of driftwood in a calm section of the feature. Because they prefer gently moving or nearly still water, I build up gravel behind the driftwood to slow the flow, then plant directly into that gravel. To prevent mosquitoes from finding standing water, I top the area with moss, which also creates a soft, natural finish.
