The Gardens Group has reintroduced four species of carnivorous plants to its indoor plant range at Castle Gardens in Sherborne, Brimsmore Gardens in Yeovil and Poundbury Gardens in Poundbury. Sarah, Emmelene and Katie, who run the houseplant departments, have spent months researching and gaining knowledge about these amazing plants and their global conservation status, with the aim of finding an ethical, reliable, and quality supplier.
Within the new range are, Sarracenia, which catch and digest insects in their trumpet-like upright hooded pitchers and ‘Monkey Cups’ (Nepenthes), that display pendulous lidded pitchers to trap insects. Sundews (Drosera) with sticky dew-drop-like tentacles and the Queen of Carnivorous plants, Venus fly trap (Dionaea muscipula) are also available at all three garden centres.
The carnivorous plant collections at each centre have been commercially grown to avoid any impact on native habitats and wild populations. As well as being evolutionary marvels, they are also a solution to naturally control pests at home.
Sarah, the centre manager at Castle Gardens, explains: “Responsible sourcing and minimising our impact on the planet is something we take very seriously at The Gardens Group, so we took the decision to remove these plants from our range until we were confident that we had found a suitable supplier. We are so excited to reintroduce these amazing plants, which have evolved over millennia to live in specific bog habitats, and we hope to inspire gardeners of all ages to explore natural pest control methods. We have planted a number of bog bowls to showcase the colourful displays that can be achieved at home, while creating a microclimate that allows other houseplants to thrive.”
