The First Summer Pitchers

Sarracenia flava var. rugelii

It's summer here, finally, and with the heat comes some of the best and largest pitchers of the year! One of the first and largest was this Sarracenia flava var. rugelii. It is a fantastic plant with only a shadow of a red throat.

The Bogs

Overall, none of the plants minded being moved to the outdoor bogs in the spring. I hadn't expected summer would be difficult, my only small worry is winter, but I have a plan for that. At the moment, I'm just enjoying the flowers, pitchers, and the green world.

Sarracenia flava var. cuprea

Perhaps the best looking plant in the collection is this Sarracenia flava var. cuprea. It is a fantastic looking specimen, probably my best var. cuprea. I really love this plant.

Sarracenia purpurea hybrid

Last NASC auction, I picked up a set of unknown Sarrs. They've all turned out to be purp hybrids, and one of the first to produce a pitcher this year was this plant. Like my actual purps, these hybrids seem to be quite attractive to spiders for some reason. Many of them have a resident spider snaring prey from the pitcher.

Sarracenia flava var. rugelii

My favorite Sarracenia flava var. rugelii is also pitchering. It has brilliant yellow pitchers and a colorful red throat. I can't wait to see this plant when it gets older.

Sarracenia leucophylla

I also have a number of Sarracenia leucophylla which are starting to produce pitchers. Their pitchers are not as brilliant in the early spring as the flavas, but they're still quite nice and among my favorite.

Drosera intermedia and rotundifolia

I have a mess of Drosera intermedia and rotundifolia in the bog. I'm sure there are a few hybrids between the two as well. I really haven't bothered to try to separate these guys as I like the little clumps of plants among the pitchers.

Sarracenia leucophylla

Most of the Sarracenia leucophyllas and flavas were sight unseen when I acquired them. So, each day I'm finding out what each individual plant looks like as they start to open more and more pitchers. I'm greatly enjoying the adventure.

Pinguicula vulgaris (left)
Pinguicula leptoceras (middle)
Pinguicula grandiflora (right)

I have a small section in the bog garden for temperate Pinguicula. An order from Europe came in a bit short in terms of some of the ordered plants, but some have taken quite well and I now have three European species (or plants originating from Europe) doing well enough in the garden. Sadly, I have learned that Pinguicula macroceras will not survive summers here. (I think it gets too hot sometimes).

Developing Seeds

I also have a few plants which were successfully pollinated this year. (Many flowered too early for successful seed setting). This is a Sarracenia purpurea.

Sarracenia flava

I'm also starting to see some more colorful pitchers on some of my Sarracenia. This flava appears to be an ornata variant, or at least a rugelii x ornata/