Attack of the killer plants from Marrs
First the Venus flytrap... now an insect-eater named after The Smiths guitarist
I’M STANDING in a sweltering glasshouse in rural Hampshire, admiring a specialist nursery’s range of carnivorous plants. As locations go, it’s an unlikely place to find a strong connection to the British music scene. Yet among the extraordinary species is a plant that’s inspired by one of our most celebrated rock guitarists.
At first glance, you wouldn’t expect the 2ft-tall pitcher plant with coppercoloured foliage to boast star credentials, but a close look at its label reveals it’s been named after Johnny Marr, former guitarist with The Smiths, The The and a host of other bands.
‘I’m a big fan of his music so thought I’d dedicate a plant to him,’ says Matthew Soper, 49, owner of Hampshire Carnivorous Plants, near Eastleigh. ‘He loves it – he’s even had a guitar he takes on tour with him sprayed the same colour as the pitchers.’
Sarracenia ‘Johnny Marr’ will form part of the line-up of insect-eating curiosities that Matthew hopes will wow the crowds at the Hampton Court Palace Flower Show. Held annually in 33 acres on the banks of the Thames in Surrey, the show will open its gates to visitors on Tuesday (see rhs.org.uk for details).
‘Everybody knows of Venus flytraps, but few realise there are so many different sorts of carnivorous plants. People just stare at the plants in amazement,’ says Matthew, who has won 15 gold medals for his displays at the event since his debut in 1999.
At Hampton Court, he hopes to turn heads by creating a jungle-like display. Many different varieties of pitcher plant, butterworts, cobra lilies, sundews, Venus flytraps and bladderworts will be arranged among damp moss and logs, while species that grow on trees or rocks in the wild will be set on the branches of an old stump.
Among the plants with a head for heights will be several monkey cups, known botanically as nepenthes. Native to Malaysia, Borneo, Indonesia and other parts of South-East Asia, they form clusters of leaves and have colourful, pitcher-like traps attached to cascading tendrils.
Insects, small mammals or birds are attracted by a sweet, sticky substance at the top of the pitcher. Once inside, they can’t escape and their bodies dissolve in digestive fluid secreted by the plant.
At Matthew’s nursery, these unique plants are grown inside a room that’s warmer and more humid than the rest of the glasshouse. They’re not easy to raise at home as they require close attention to ensure the temperature is kept between 15 and 20C during the day and not below 10C at night.
Fortunately, plenty of others are undemanding. Venus flytraps do well on a sunny windowsill or in a frostfree greenhouse. Dionae muscipula is the species usually found in garden centres, but there are many different varieties, including D. muscipula ‘Akai Ryu’, which has burgundycoloured traps, and D. muscipula ‘Sawtooth’, whose traps are edged with short, pointed teeth.
Pitcher plants like similar conditions. Known botanically as sarracenia, this tribe are largely native to the southern US and have tubular traps guarded by a flared hood. The pitchers stand between 3in and 39in tall, depending on variety. Sarracenia leucophylla produces 3ft-tall pitchers adorned with a white mesh pattern, while S. x catesbyi has green pitchers with bright red veins. Matthew’s favourite is S. ‘Juthatip Soper’, a 2ft-tall variety with dark pink pitchers that he bred at the nursery and named after his Thai wife.
Easiest of all carnivorous plants are sundews, especially Cape sundew (Drosera capensis). This native of South Africa grows to about 6in high and produces a mass of tentacle-like leaves clothed in tiny hairs. Matthew suggests putting one in a glasshouse to catch aphids.
Most carnivorous plants are excellent indoors or can be placed in their pots outdoors in summer, but some are tough enough to be planted in the ground – they need moist, but sharply drained acidic soil. Several types of sundew are frost-hardy, while Sarracenia flava and compact Sarracenia purpurea subsp. purpurea, a pitcher plant from Canada, will endure -15C.
The golden rule to keeping carnivorous plants happy is to ensure their roots are always damp. Stand pots in a shallow saucer or tray topped up with rainwater or distilled water.