Creating a Carnivorous Plant Bog Garden in West Virginia

Question: Zone 6/7 border, wet areas near creek, clay/slate soil. Want to plant temperate CPs directly or build lined bog. How?

Answer: Option 1: Test with one Sarracenia in ground—may work if soil is nutrient-poor. Battle weeds, water in droughts.
Option 2: Excavate, line with pond liner/plastic, fill with CP media (peat + pumice/sand/lava rock—no limestone, no perlite). Slope slightly to use spring water. Plant Sarracenia/sundews in wet zones, flytraps higher, butterworts in shade. Darlingtonia possible with constant flow. See bog design link. Vigilant weeding needed—peat germinates everything.

Good Growing!

— Jeff Dallas, Sarracenia Northwest