Question
I live on Oahu, the western side of the island. I've been doing research, but still unsure of which plants will grow best here.  I have also heard there are problems with our water/mineral level. I understand collecting rain water would be ok. is that correct? Can you give me a list of a few plants that will be good starters here?

Answer
Hi Denise,

By Western Oahu, I'm assuming you live in Kailua, Kaneohe, or North Shore area.  Being a tropical climate, most all of the common Nepenthes species will do very well for you.  The majority of those varieties are intermediate to highland.  The only Nepenthes that would struggle are ultra-highlanders that need a nighttime cool-down.

Tropical sundews and Mexican butterworts would also do well.  You would also do very well with most of the Australian "Woolly" sundews which are notorious for needing consistent warmth.

Plants to avoid:  Heliamphora (Sun Pitchers), Cephalotus, and most of the temperate plants such as Venus Flytraps, hardy sundews and butterworts.  Darlingtonia would need near laboratory conditions.

Worth a try:  Sarracenia.  We know that growers in Hilo on the Big Island have found Sarracenia will tolerate a short dormancy period.

Your water will be a problem for some.  Nepenthes are not very sensitive to hard water, so they are the most tolerant, as are Mexican butterworts.  Sundews must have low mineral water, as do Sarracenia.  If you have a rainwater catchment system that is ideal.  Otherwise for a few plants you can buy bottled distilled water or water from grocery store machines that purify by reverse osmosis.

Visit this link on our website for some specific recommendations:  http://cobraplant.com/index.php?main_page=page&id=37  These recommendations are only partial.  Many more tropical varieties will do well for you.

Good Growing!

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