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Carnivorous Plants-Your First Bog Garden

© Diana Pederson

Carnivorous Plants fascinate children and adults alike. When discussing animals, carnivores are those that eat meat. When discussing plants, carnivores are those that eat insects. The majority of them reside in bogs. This week, let's plant a simple bog garden in a terrarium setting.

Supplies Needed

You will need a 5-10 gallon fish aquarium or some other clear glass or plastic terrarium. Long fibered spaghum moss is purchased at nurseries or garden centers. Be sure to get the kind with long fibers--not the type that has been shredded into tiny pieces. Next you need to select several carnivorous plants. For a beginner, I recommend the plants listed in the next paragraph. They are usually sold in plastic pots covered with a clear plastic dome. You will find them in nurseries, greenhouses, and even your grocery store! Before buying them, look carefully to be sure the spaghum moss has not dried out. If it has, chances are the plant is no longer alive.

Butterworts have colorful flowers. Although not pictured, Pinguicula vulgaris is the variety commonly sold. Sundews, Drosera species, are very delicate looking plants. You'll find it in the middle of the picture if you look closely! Pitcher plants resemble their name. Sarracenia purpurea is the species typically sold at nurseries or garden centers.

Planting your bog garden

Since bogs are made up of floating masses of spaghum moss, it is very easy to plant a bog garden. First, soak the dry spaghum moss in a pail of warm water. Then squeeze it out. It contains the right amout of moisture when it feels damp but does not drip. Place a 3-4" layer into your terrarium. You may slope it from the back towards the front if desired.

Your carnivorous plants most likely came in a plastic pot filled with moist spaghum moss and covered with a clear plastic top. Note that these plants are not rooted in soil. I learned the hard way that they promptly die if you plant them directly in soil. Plant carnivorous plants by making an opening in the moss the size of the root ball. Then, gently take the plant out of the pot and place it in your hole. Bring the spaghum moss up over the root ball. Make sure the plant rests on top of the moss layers, not sunk into it. Use any arrangement that is pleasing to you. Generally, the taller plants such as the pitcher plant are placed towards the rear and the tiny sundews are in the front of the terrarium.