Sarracenia

One of the joys of owning a nursery is growing whatever grabs and excites you and allowing others to do the same. This is one group I fell in love with while visiting the Adirondacks in upstate New York. There were rafts of Sarracenias and Drosera on a lake so I had to try that when I got home. So, using Sarracenias on covered polystyrene rafts to keep the roots below and the pitchers above water, tried them out on the pond and some galvanised containers. They all survived the winter outside extremely well and have proved to be easy to grow this way. The photograph below of a raft on our pond was taken in March after a cold winter. The extraordinary flowers are produced in summer, thouightfully placed high above the pitchers so the pollinating insects don't become food!
I will trial some Drosera (Sundews) this year, I'm sure the right species will be just as easy. The Sarracenias here are all hardy in the Irish climate. They are insectivorous and get their own food so do not need feeding.