Choosing Sarracenia for a July Wedding: Best Species and Grower Coordination

Question

My fiance and I are planning our wedding for July 25. We would like to have a sarracenia sp. for the centerpieces at the reception. My question is which species will be at their best at this time? We plan on potting them and using potted plants for the tables and then bringing them home for a bog garden in Michigan. Thank you very much.

Answer

This would depend on your color scheme, the quantity you need and your source for the plants. If you were to get them from us, for instance, then we would need to coordinate what we can realistically provide and have looking nice in time for the event. It's sort of like working with a florist as far in advance as possible to make sure the florist can acquire the necessary flowers. One of our customers wanted her wedding bouquet to be made up entirely of white top pitchers (Sarracenia leucophylla). She contacted me 6 months in advance of her September wedding, ample time for me to sequester the plants and care for them to make sure they were in top form for the event.

A couple of the tall red plants look very good in late July:
Judith Hindle
Daina's Delight

Shorter red plants include:
Sarracenia purpurea
Cobra Nest
Scarlet Belle

Sarracenia leucophylla may or may not be looking good in late July. This entirely depends on how hot it gets. If the weather is too hot, the plants tend to go into summer dormancy. So if you want this species at your wedding, you'll need to work with a grower who can work around this issue.

The key, however, is to work with the grower now, whether it's us or another nursery. You need to make sure the grower puts aside those plants and cares for them to ensure they all are in top form. Otherwise you risk being at the mercy of whatever is available when your event comes around.

Good growing!
Jacob Farin