Question
i want to have outdoor bog garden. i really want to have cobra plant with my sarracenia, venus fly trap, and cape sundews. i herd that i can't use standard carnivorous plant soil mix. is it true or not? and is seattle, WA too cold for venus fly traps and sarracenias?

Answer
Hello Shane,

Your zone 7-8 there in Seattle, just right for many North American species. If in doubt, you can always cover the bog with a tarp in winter or mulch the plants. Darlingtonia require more aeration in their soil and cool nights. The soil mix will be similar, but you will need to add some orchid bark and additional perlite to the sphagnum moss and water with cool water daily. You might just make a separate section of the bog just for Darlingtonia. I do not have much experience with Darlingtonia, so you might want to talk to Sarracenia Northwest about your idea and see what they come up with for you. Darlingtonia is one of the more difficult species of carnivorous plant to cultivate. You will really have to have the perfect microclimate for them if you want to try them.

Christopher