Question
I've got a few sarracenia, a VFT, and a sundew in pots on my patio (USDA zone 9).  I'm not happy with the pots. I can use ugly plastic pots in a lasagna pan water bath, or (even worse) a used cat litter box, bu that's not the clean contemporary look I want in my yard. I bought some planters at Target yesterday- I like the aesthetic, but I dont think they'll function well.  Any suggestions?

Answer
Hi Katherine,

You can pot plants up in glazed ceramic pots, and those are pretty easy to find at many stores.  Tray-type devices for the water reservoir can be a bit harder, but you can often find nice looking pie plates or bowls from places that sell pottery.  If you have a local market that features local artists those are often great places to find larger ceramic bowls that will be much more decorative.  Aesthetic is going to come with a price tag, however.

One caution I'll throw out here because it seems to follow this issue.  Don't use  containers without drain holes for the actual pot/planter.  You still need water to be able to flow through the pot.  Even though carnivorous plants like being very wet, they still need good oxygenation to their roots, and they don't get that in undrained containers.

If you plant your plants in large planters you can sometimes do without the water trays if you are diligent about watering during hot weather.  We have an old bathtub here at the nursery that we did a bog garden in.  We have to water it quite a bit during hot weather.  It will just depend on your supply if purified water if you have hard tap water.

Hope this helps.

Good Growing!

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