Sarracenia purpurea...

I have another unusual North Carolina native plant, in addition to the Lady's Slippers. Only this one doesn't grow wild in my backyard (figuratively) on its own. I had to build a habitat for it, but it seems quite content with what I have provided.




This is my Purple Pitcher Plant, also known as Sarracenia purpurea. Yes, I know. The new leaves don't quite look purple. As they mature and widen out into the pitchers they form, they will darken. You also might be interested to know that not all Purple Pitcher Plants are purple.




This is the first year it has bloomed, even though I've had it for two or three years. I always consider that a plant is happy with the care I am giving it if it is providing flowers for me in return. So I must be doing o.k. for my Pitcher Plants.




Last winter, the "bog" freezing heaved the plants, so this past winter, I put hay bales around the container to keep it from getting as cold. And it worked. The plants weren't pushed out of their "soil," which is actually a peat moss and sand mixture, by ice.



Have a beautiful day!