Question
Hello,
 My D.regia is sending up an flower stalk.  I read in Peter D'Amato's book "The Savage Garden" that the flower takes a lot of energy away from the plant and should be cut off. Do you have any thoughts on this?  Thank you.

Answer
Hello David,

I think what the author intended was merely to caution first time growers about plants that may be starting off with less than ideal conditions that are nonetheless sending up flower scapes.

To give some perspective to the situation, I have a range of species that require a rather wide variety of light intensity. I actually grow them all indoors under florescent lights and have never clipped off any flower scapes, not even from Venus Flytraps or Sarracenias. They continue flowering and growing without fail and produce seeds. The only time you will see weakening in these plants is when they do not receive high enough levels of light during flowering. With enough lights properly placed and of the proper intensity levels, any plant will grow normally.

Once the plant is growing normally, has good coloration and dew production, is trapping insects normally, and begins flowering, let it do what it is supposed to do. If you recently bought the plant from a place you suspect did not provide proper conditions for the plant to begin with, then you might want to clip the flower scape, but if you have had it for several months and it has not shown any signs of illness or weakening, then by all means, leave it alone. It means your doing a great job of caring for the plant's needs and it feels healthy and comfortable enough to flower.

Christopher