Most of the carnivorous plants that you mention should do just fine...you should be able to grow at least three or four species from each genus that are found in the northern hemisphere. Many of the bog orchids should do fine as well, assuming all other cultural considerations are maintained beyond the issue of photoperiod. Six to eight hours of direct sunlight, especially the peak hours between 9am and 3pm, is genearally considered full sun. Good luck.

You just discribed my pond sun hours exactly. They do OK. They would do better with more sun, but most do well enough.

Here is a link that might be useful: Stephen's carnivorous plants, bog orchids, bog and pond

Northern WI: has anyone see a butterwort in the wild. Supposed to be around Superior but I haven't seen one. I bog walk in the Spring so naturally I wouldn't see a butterwort blooming because they are late summer bloomers. But has anyone seen one around Oneida or Vilas?

I have carnivorous plants and I have to place a warning here. They are high maintenance plants if in a bog container and the likes. They prefer well water or distilled water for containers.

Carniverous plants can not be placed in normal drinking water that contains bleach, chlorine and fluride etc...

Of course pond water after sitting a while has had most of this taken out. Plus if you use pond starters or pond chemicals that take out the chlorine that should be fine.

I must also add that if you buy a carniverous plant that is used to well water or distilled water your plant will not do well in its first year of growth going into your pond that is not one of those types of water.

They will brown and die off until well established and get used to your water.

Also, these plants DO NOT like any type of fertilizers whatsoever that is what the insects / bugs they capture are for.

And if they are brown make sure they are not dormant and not dying. These types of plants brown when going dormant.

Also, these plants do not like hot late afternoon sun liek I get in Texas.

Just a little tid bit information as I am building a wonderful collection of carniverous plants and have learned these facts over time for my zone 8 climate conditions.

Lot of carnivorous just need about 6-7 hrs of sun light. So part sun and shade is ok. Mine get about more then that,but 7 hrs os good enough.

Which ones have you had luck overwintering in Zone 5? D'Amato indicates that many can survive with a mulch blanket. Who here has experience with species that do well with that?

I must disagree with Dendy, I find that they are positively easy and virtually maintenance free if you follow a couple of easy rules.

Use only rain or distilled water. Our well water is very hard and not a good choice in Northeast Ohio. I have a rain gutter that flows into a rain barrel and overflows into the bog garden.

I plant companion plants in the bog to help keep the garden looking natural and it reduces weeding which I only do when I know for sure a plant is a weed (you can get some great spontaneous plants in a peat bog!)

I have 8 species and hybrids of Sarracenia, 3 species of Drosera, Venus fly traps, as far as orchids I have 2 Species of Platanthera, Calopogon, and Spiranthes. All of these plants have been in since the bog garden was put together in 1997 (and moved with me in 2000)without any special treatment (other than the rainwater) and no winter protection except whatever blanket of snow we get.

Hi Fredsbog, Do the bog orchids need the same soil set-up as the sarracenia, or can they handle mucky, wet soil? I have a pretty wet place, and in a selected spot I set up the peat/sand area for the pitcher plants. In the rest of the area with the soil as is I put in a skunk cabbage and an umbrella plant. I would like to keep adding interest to that area. It mostly gets full sun (the pitcher plant area will get 8-9hrs), but there is an area that gets part sun.

Thank you!

Fredsbog, do you leave the Venus' flytraps outside all winter up there?

Orchids grow in the same soil as the Sarracenias. Sometimes they are under water if it's wet (like it's been for the last 2 months). They get the same sun (noon on) as the rest of the bog plants. Last year I had 3 stems of Platanthera bloom (one yellow, two white), 6 stems of Calopogon, and over 20 stems of Spiranthes bloom.

Yes the Venus Fly Traps stay out in the bog through the winter. They start out a bit slow but by mid July have traps equally as large as those I winter inside (from my experience the Aki Ryu cultivar is less hardy than the usual form)

I am so glad I found this thread. Stephen, your page is wonderful! We have a natural pond (about a half acre) that I have been planting. Thanks for all the information.

fredsbog I dont see what you diagreed with me over *lol* but oh well.

They are virtually a maintenance free plant but you still can not use normal tap water and you still can not use fertilzers on them. Mine stay out all winter in both bogs - container and bog. Mine do not like full TEXAS sun. Over 100 degrees of pure sun for hours is way too much for my CP's. They burn. Thanks. We dont even use distilled water for the CP's anymore. After they have established themselves with weening from distlilled water they have been flourishing in the containers with straight pond water now.

Does anybody know anything about a carniverous plant called "Nepenthe"?

Nepenthes, are from mostly South East Asia. They generally divided into two groups. The first is the 'Lowland' group such as N. mirabilis which like temperature range of 25 - 30 C night and day. The second group which comes from mountains like temperature of about 28C or lower in the day and drop of 10C or so in the night. A good exmaple of the group would be N.maxima. Depending on where you live one group might be easier to grow than the other.