Sarracenia

Sarracenia purpurea

Huntsman's Cup

Sarracenia purpurea is a carnivorous bog perennial native to nutrient-poor wetlands across northern North America, and it lives with its roots constantly wet and its crown in full sun. Keep it standing in a tray of mineral-free water (rain or distilled only — tap minerals will kill it), and grow it in a lean peat-and-sand mix that never dries; top up the tray when it runs low, roughly every 1 to 3 days. It needs a cold winter dormancy and never feed it fertilizer — it catches its own insects.

Sarracenia flava

Trumpets

Sarracenia flava is a rhizomatous carnivorous pitcher plant from the wet, sunny bogs of the southeastern United States, where its roots sit in constantly moist, nutrient-poor, acidic ground. Stand the pot in a shallow tray of rainwater or distilled water and keep the mineral-free, peat-and-sand mix wet at all times — never let the surface dry out — refilling the tray whenever it runs low. Tap water and fertilizer will harm it, and it needs a cold winter dormancy to survive long term.

Sarracenia leucophylla

Purple Trumpet-leaf

Sarracenia leucophylla is a carnivorous pitcher plant from the wet, sunny bogs of the southeastern Gulf Coast, so it breaks the usual under-watering rule: its roots must stay constantly damp and never dry out. Stand the pot in a tray of distilled or rainwater (avoid tap or fertilizer) and refill before the standing water is gone, typically every 1 to 3 days. Give it as much direct sun as you can and a cool, dormant winter rest to match its native seasonal cycle.