Question
Hello! First I would like to thank you for your assistance in the past. I also just read what you answered to a previous asker regarding frost in zones <8 (He's in 5 and I'm in zone 6). I just wanted to let you know that despite a light frost, which already devastated my vegetable garden, my CPs seem to be even healthier since and have "perked up". Thanks to you two, I have a first-year natural bog garden complete with natural spring water source just below my house in a detention area, where once only ugly weeds grew! Now is the time to really enjoy it: the autumn light intensifies especially the pitcher plants' colors.

I only made on mistake so far: Those VFTs and smaller Drosera, which I hadn't weeded for grass (the moss seems to actually be beneficial!), and that had grass growing in them didn't grow nearly as well as those that did not. Even hair-thin bog types of grass. This doesn't seem to be a problem with taller CPs, like pitchers etc. So now I know to what to weed! I also took your advise and tried using washed pebbles on top of those varieties, which benefit from this, and those without weeds seem to have greatly benefited. THANKS!

Answer
Hi Joseph,

That is great to hear about your first experience with a bog garden. Yes, you are now witnessing how beautiful these plants can be when grown outdoors and not in those goofy terrariums.  At our nursery, our vegetable garden has also deteriorated, but much of our late-season Sarracenia are looking gorgeous despite having experienced several nights at 28癋.

Yes, club moss and grass are a perennial problem at our nursery as well.  We frequently need to weed our Darlingtonia and display Sarracenia.  We haven't found any fool-proof solutions other than manual labor.

Thanks for keeping us posted about your plants!

Good growing!
Jacob Farin