Extremely hardy pitcher plant with burgundy pitchers, tolerates Swedish winter outdoors

Sarracenia purpurea, the northern pitcher plant, is a low-growing carnivorous plant with short, sturdy traps that often turn a burgundy color with red vein patterns in full sun. During winter, the plant often takes on a magnificent deep reddish-purple hue. The outside of the pitchers is waxy and feels hard to the touch.

The plant readily forms clumps and colonies that can eventually grow to over a meter wide. The pitchers retain their color through the winter and can last for almost two years. This is one of the hardiest carnivorous plants available.

The pitcher plant is fragrant and blooms in early spring with deep red flowers on stems about 30 centimeters high, which emerge long before the new traps develop. The flower stalks and sepals remain year-round, resembling green daffodils.

The species is native to North America from Maryland up to Newfoundland and is the only Sarracenia naturally occurring north of Maryland. Some of its colorful English names include "Devil's Boots," "Side-Saddle Flower," and "Hunter's Cup." In colonial-era homeopathy, it was believed to relieve smallpox.

Care

The species prefers mild summers and cold winters, making it excellently adapted to the Swedish climate. It is hardy to USDA zones 2-7, which means it can be grown outdoors in practically all of Sweden with simple winter protection, one of the few carnivorous plants that truly thrives in our climate.

Requires full sun during the growing season. NEVER use regular potting soil or fertilizer; use a nutrient-poor substrate of sphagnum moss and perlite or sand. Place the pot in a tray of water to keep the soil constantly moist, and water only with distilled or rainwater.

Perfect outdoors, but also works in a terrarium. Winter dormancy is mandatory; the plant needs a cold resting period to survive long-term, which it easily gets outdoors in Sweden.