Three deadly carnivores to terrify insects and delight kids
If you are a regular reader, you might just have noticed that I have a slight fondness for exotic plants. Hell, let’s be honest, it’s more of an obsession. Yet I like to think that part of my love of them is not just due to personal bias, but because there is simply no other group of plants that quite captures the imagination of such a diverse group of audiences, which might not otherwise be into horticulture. The massive leaves, dazzling colours, even weird behaviours, just seem to embody the feeling of a storybook adventure in ways that polite herbaceous borders simply don’t. And if you are looking for pure Roald Dahl levels of wide-eyed-wonder, you really can’t get more storybook than carnivorous plants.
Yet you might be surprised to learn that despite their exotic appearance, many of these plants, far from being tender tropicals, can find the cosy, year-round warmth of the average living room just too stifling. Instead, they prefer the cool outdoors of even our most mediocre summers and come the winter are more than capable of shrugging off some pretty Arctic blasts. In fact, many actively need this period of dormancy to grow well. So if you have a sunny spot outdoors sheltered from strong winds, here are three of my favourites to surprise and delight the kids (and big kids) in your life.