Position

Sun exposure:
Full sun
Aspect:
South facing

Soil

Succeeds on poor soil:
Acidic / Boggy

Venus fly trap, Dionaea muscipula, is a difficult but rewarding plant to grow. Native to the subtropical wetlands of the United States, it’s one of the few plants that can move to catch prey – using its toothed, modified leaves to snap around insects and spiders that land on the inner leaf surface. Pretty white flowers appear on long stem in spring.

Grown as a houseplant in temperate climates, it can be tricky to mimic the subtropical conditions it requires to thrive. Grow your venus fly trap at room temperature in full sun, such as a sunny windowsill, and keep well watered with rainwater only – allow the compost to dry out only in winter. Slow-growing, you shouldn’t need to repot your venus fly trap more than once every two years, but when you do it needs nutrient poor, acidic compost, so it’s a good idea to use spent peat-free ericaceous compost you would otherwise discard. Mist often to increase humidity and never feed your plant – it gets all of its nutrition from its prey.

Plant calendar

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Flowersyesyes

Dionaea and wildlife

Dionaea has no particular known value to wildlife in the UK.

Is Dionaea poisonous?

Dionaea has no toxic effects reported.

No reported toxicity to:
Is not known to attract Birds
Birds
Is not known to attract Cats
Cats
Is not known to attract Dogs
Dogs
Is not known to attract Horses
Horses
Is not known to attract Livestock
Livestock
Is not known to attract People
People
Plants that go well with Dionaea muscipula
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