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Sarracenia purpurea 'Jersey Girl'
Pitcher Plant
Plant Type:
POND & WETLAND PLANTSSarracenia purpurea 'Jersey Girl' - Bright red pitchers display stained glass chartreuse veining at the flared tops of the ewers. Stunning mid to late spring flowers emerge from red globes atop tough stems in a deep, rich red. Flower stems may rise from 12 to 24 inches or thereabouts. The flowers eventually age to light green and sometimes last for much of the growing season. Though Sarracenia purpurea hales from Eastern North America this worthy clone was selected by Aquascapes from a population in Ocean County, New Jersey. We keep ours in half builder's sand, half peat. The peat is a mix of milled and long grain sphagnum moss. They should be lifted and planted in fresh mix every 2nd year. We have also found that a diffused light to morning sun siting seems to suit Sarracenia purpurea best... this may have to do with water temps that become too warm in a small display. Constant damp is important. In a natural setting vernal flooding is okay but please be aware that Pitcher Plant crowns must never be covered in water for extended periods or they will drown and rot. They are, after all. bog plants and not pond denizens. Established pot grown division.
For further information please scroll down to Genus Overview.
Characteristics and Attributes for Sarracenia purpurea 'Jersey Girl'
Season of Interest (Flowering)
- Spring into Summer
Season of Interest (Foliage)
- Four Seasons
Nature Attraction
- Deer Resistant
- Insectivore
Light
- Morning Sun / Afternoon Shade
- Dappled Shade
Attributes
- Accent
- Bog
- Marginal
- Evergreen
- Conservatory
- Natural Garden
- Collector Plant
Growth Rate in the Garden
- Slow
Soil
- Wet
- Moist
- Sandy
Origins
- Garden Origin
Propagated By
- Division
Genus Overview: Sarracenia
Common Name: Pitcher Plant
These are the fascinating Pitcher Plants. All are from eastern North America, most from Southeastern U.S. One species occurs in the north all the way up into Newfoundland in peat bogs, Sarracenia purpurea with USDA zone 4 hardiness... perhaps some populations hardy into zone 3. The spring and summer flowers which last for many weeks are as beautiful as they are fascinating. All species have evolved pitchers with passive pitfall traps… the insects enter but can’t back up due to downward facing hairs which disallow retreat. They are structurally curious and in their own unique way very beautiful. All require constantly moist to wet feet, boggy conditions suit them well or can be easily pot grown in 50% coarse sand to 50% peat mix. In a natural setting they can tolerate vernal flooding but for most of the year their crowns must be above the water line or they will rot… yes, I know: it’s hard to believe! Most of the literature tells you not to feed them and it is true that any chemical fertilizer should be avoided as these plants have little tolerance to salts. But you can use quarter strength fish emulsion on occasion and I mean only on occasion, not at every watering, and only during active growth. Potted plants must be re-potted every 2 years with a fresh mix of peat and coarse sand or they languish. They are easy to transplant and respond well to good treatment. Most prefer sun although I have found that S. purpurea seems particularly happy during the summer under the shade cloth in my greenhouse. That was a bit of a surprise as I’ve seen them growing in the bright open sunny conditions in the fantastic peat bogs of Nova Scotia. Generally I would say they need be planted in full sun in the north to to partly shaded exposure in the south. They make fascinating potted plants. All of the following are offered by division.