Saturday, October 26, 2013


southwalesargus.co.uk


Gardening


Grow some flesh-eating plants this Hallowe’en


something of the Little Shop of Horrors into your home. CARYS THOMAS takes a look at colourful flesh-eating fauna to brighten up your lounge.


IF Hallowe’en makes you think of ghouls, bring


WHAT better way to cel- ebrate Hallowe’en than by growing some flesh-eating plants? Carnivorous or insectivo-


rous plants are plants which are adapted for capturing insects and other small animals by capturing and then ingesting them. There are around 400 known species of carnivorous plants which include the venus fly trap, cobra lilly, butterwort and the trumpet pitcher. The majority of carnivo-


rous plants are found in damp heaths, bogs, swamps and muddy or sandy shores mostly in South American


beginners as they grow all year round. A Royal Horticulural Society spokesman said: “It is important for the plant to have a winter. The plant needs cooler conditions as it dies back into the bulb in the winter.” The society advises not to


PITCHER PLANT: The sarracenia


and the southern states of the US such as Carolina. The Royal Horticulture Society recommends the Venus fly trap (dionaea muscipula) for


use compost, just a mixture of peat and sand and to provide the plant with rain water or filtered water. The spokesman said: “An important thing for people to realise is that the traps can only open and close a limited amount of time. If all the traps have been triggered


GrowIt


FEED ME, SEYMOUR: The most common carnivorous plant, the venus fly trap. Picture by © RHS Images/ Janet Cubey


several- times the plant can’t feed itself as it can’t catch insects. It weakens and even- tually the plant dies.” Alistair Pearce, owner of Little Shop of Horrors, a specialist site for carnivorous plants, has been growing venus fly traps for the last ten years. He said: “Our most popular carnivorous plant is the venus fly trap, and the sundews are very easy to grow. The things venus fly traps don’t like are tap water and central heating. “This time of the year, they


need to be put near a cold window and kept away from the warmest part of the room especially radiators. “They are very easy plants


to care for. I have some carnivorous plants that sit outside all year round for the last six years which hardly need any attention.” Mr Pearce recommends buying a venus fly trap plant for children as the seeds can take a few years to mature. He added: “Venus fly traps are easily managed as there’s


The Gardening Guru


Q: Is it better to leave your grass longish during the win- ter or mow it right down? CT via Facebook


A: The warmwet weather has helped the grass grow strong- ly this autumn. Grass should be left a bit longer for the win- ter, this will help it to cope if we get severe cold weather. Q: Can you divide gazania, and if so, when?


HW, Caldicot


A: Perennial gazania are clump-forming and can be divided in the autumn or spring. Q: After going to the USA, I developed a taste for yams. Can I grow them here, and how?


BF, Marshfield


Our Garden GuruROB WILLIAMS of The Secret Garden,Mamhilad, is here to answer your gardening questions:


A: Yams like warm, wet weather and a rich soil. They are vigorous climbing plants. The tubers look like sweet po- tato. In this climate, you are unlikely to have much luck. Q: What can I do at this time of year to improve drainage in the garden, as it seems to never stop raining! BW, Cwmbran


A: Poor drainage is a com- mon problem. Clay soils


drain slowly and can become compacted. Stay off the ground after rain. Add or- ganic matter and lime. Use a garden fork to make holes in the worst affected areas to al- low water down.


This week’s tips:


Move tender plants to the greenhouse. Cut back any perennials that have finished flowering.


Harvest apples, pears, grapes and nuts. Final mow of the lawn before winter. If you have a question for our garden guru, email maria. williams@southwalesargus. co.uk, tweet @ArgusMWil- liams, leave a message on the Argus Facebook page or write to Garden Guru, Newsdesk, South Wales Argus, Cardiff Road, Newport, NP20 3QN


no need to use fertiliser. The only thing you need to do in winter is tidy up the leaves occasionally.” The Carnivorous Plant Soci-


ety consists of members who collect carnivorous plants, Diane Riddiford and her part- ner Ian Salter, both members of the committee, have been growing around 5,000 car- nivorous plants at their home in Resolven, Neath. Dianne Riddiford, 37, said:


“To successfully grow a venus fly trap in a house it will need to be in a sunny window and watered well with rain water only during the summer months and then placed in a cool place for the winter months with the plant soil kept moist. The plants should not be grown in com- post or given any nutrients, as this will kill the plant – they are acid-loving plants. A carnivorous plant indigenous to the UK called the butterwort (pinguicula grandiflora) can be found growing in the Brecon Beacons.Carnivorous plants


can be found at most garden centres. Ms Riddiford said: “You do find a cross between plants at garden centres -they are usually weedy and green as they haven’t reached opti- mumgrowth yet. They treat them as garden house hold plants but carnivorous plants need a lot of light.” She said: “Some people col-


lect items, carnivorous plants aren’t usually expensive but rare plants can be worth around £1,000 such as the Eden Black.” Other popular carnivorous plants are the sarracenia, commonly known as pitcher plants, found in South America, which can ingest small animals such as mice. The RHS spokesman said: “The pitcher plants can be grown outside as marginal plants. They attract insects with their nectar which is a narcotic this affects the insects making them drowsy – they are then ingested into the pitcher. “ For more information visit www.rhs.org.uk


with Rob Williams


Weekend It’s The


21


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11