Distinguishing Darlingtonia Varieties and Overwintering Pinguicula primuliflora in Zone 6

A zone 6b grower bought a Darlingtonia and Pinguicula from a home improvement store. Asked how to ID coastal vs. mountain Darlingtonia and Pinguicula species, and whether to overwinter the ping outdoors.

Darlingtonia ID

• Mountain: flared "mustache" fangs; tolerates 100°F days if nights <65°F.
• Coastal: straight-down fangs; heat-sensitive.
• Traits appear in mature plants; if unsure, treat as coastal.

Pinguicula primuliflora

• Extremely fungus-prone; we rarely keep as perennial.
• In zone 6, mulch likely causes fatal spring fungus.
• Best as annual unless grown in live sphagnum moss (naturally antifungal) and left unmulched.
• Live sphagnum allowed survival in our zone 8 experiments; colder zones untested.

Read the Darlingtonia care sheet for details.