sarracenia Dana's Delight

[LynneNY]

My husband gifted me with 2 small sarracenia Dana's Delight plants for Mother's Day last Sunday. I've read up a bit, and plan to put them in larger pots so I can place them on the shelves in the pond with the water only reaching about 1/2 way up the pots. I will be potting them in 1/2 sand and 1/2 sphagnum peat moss.
 
I went back to the pond store where my husband bought them, but the owner was out on a job, and the 2 kids that were there, were brand spanking new there and not very knowledgable at all. The one helping me said to pot them up in regular soil (NO!), and to "just fertilize them with whatever you usually use on plants" (NO NO NO!!!).

Does anyone know if these plants spread at all? Right now they are in 3 inch pots and rather small.

Any other true growing tips would be greatly appreciated.

[miguynmkoi]

At one time I had a few sarra's but last year was a weird weather year and I pretty much lost all my plants    Oh well, I enjoyed them very much when I did have them.  More busy now than I like so one less thing to fuss about....so obviously you can't trust my growing tips 

My sarracenia plants did grow in mass "diameter" but I never did divide them.  I did however meet some real cool people at a garden show a few years ago who are only into these type of plants, here is their website http://aandctropicals.webs.com/ where I learned tons.  This year I had to skip these guys at the garden show.  I know I can plunk down a pretty penny there.  Can't go down that slippery slope!

[LynneNY]

Thanks so much for your info and the link, Annette!

I am going to check out that site now. 

[Rocmon]

I have mine planted in the edge of my pond. I created some "soil" areas around the perimeter stones, still within the water level of the liner. As the water drops it keeps the soil wet, but when it's raining or full the roots are maybe 1/4" deep in water. They stay outside all winter, but the coldest we have here is frost. I had a few plants and the ones planted in mostly shade passed on. I have one that is very happy where it gets good sun. It hasn't really grown a great deal of extra plant to divide it, but I'm loath to cut full green leaves from it in winter to make it be dormant.

This year it surprised me with a flower.

[miguynmkoi]

Gorgeous flower!

[LynneNY]

I decided to keep them in their original small pots, as I was told that they like to be rootbound. Put them in a plastic bucket that my husband drilled some holes in the sides towards the bottom, so water would just be coming in at the bottom. Surrounded the pots with rocks and they seem to be doing fine.

[Yellow]

This is a bit off-topic and late to the party, but I thought it should be worth mentioning:

It's "Daina's Delight", not "Dana's Delight".

The original breeder of this, Mark Edwards of Levin, New Zealand, named it after his daughter.

At quite a few of the New Zealand Carnivorous Plants Society shows in Auckland he drives up a trailer-load of mature seedlings for sale, very stunning looking specimens, among which there are often some interesting crosses involving Daina's Delight. It grows quite well here.