Expert: Christopher Littrell - 12/8/2007

Question
I live in South Jersey just over the bridge from Philadelphia PA. That's zone 6 right?  ok... here's my problem... I can't find the file that I made up with all my helpful hints and you guys are working on the care sheets at the moment sooooooo...  What exactly do I need to do with my mini garden (seperate pots) of pichers, dews and flytraps to get them through the winter??  Can I just put the whole tray of pots into a large tub and cover with mulch?  Do I need to trim them all back to the soil?  Help please... I love the lil guys and don't want to lose them.  We've already had our 1st snow and they seem to have come through it well... but the worst of winter is ahead of us.

Answer
Hello Kandy,

I believe you were intending on asking Sarracenia Northwest this question, so you might want to redirect it to them as well, I do not own a website or have any care sheets.

In any case, Your North American plants would do well in a large tub full of mulch and covered with mulch and a tarp over winter. You do not necessarily need to trim them all the way back, but you can clip the Sarracenia leaves (you can leave the Purple Pitcher Plant leaves as they are hardier) half-way back and clip off any dead or dying growth before mulching to lessen the incidence of mold. Every so often, like every week or two, brush some mulch back and check the plants for mold and use fungicide if needed. Use that time to check the moistness of the pots and ensure that the plants remain barely moist to keep them from drying out.

I am sure Sarracenia Northwest will have some additional tips to help you out too.

Hope your plants have a happy dormancy,

Christopher