Question
This spring I ordered a flowering size S. Alata for my bog garden. When I received it, it had a flower bud forming but it was soon aborted by the plant. Over the summer it has only produced about ten one to tree inch tall pitchers. None of them have opened. I ordered several other sarracenia which I also planted by it in the bog. They are all doing good so I'm not sure what is causing it to not produce regular size pitchers while the others are.

Answer
Hi Russell,

Do you happen to know if the plant was a recent division from a larger clump of plants?  Did it come from us?  If it was, and the flower was not clipped off, that would easily cause the stunting you saw.  If that was the issue, next year it should look much more normal.  

Another factor could have been your weather.  Was Indiana cooler than normal this summer?  If it was then S. alata is often affected.  They like a hot summer.  All of them originate in the Gulf Coast whereas many other Sarracenia are found a bit further North, and in slightly cooler regions.  Cools summers tend to have the biggest effect on S. alata, S. leucophylla and some S. minor forms.

Good Growing!

Jeff Dallas
Sarracenia Northwest
http://www.growcarnivorousplants.com