This competition is now closed

Dionaea muscipula

Venus fly trap

A table displaying which months are best to sow, plant and harvest.
Flowers
	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Flowers	J	F	M	A	M	J	J	A	S	O	N	D

Botanical name: Dionaea muscipula
Common name: Venus fly trap
Family: Droseraceae
Plant Type: House plant

Flower colour:

White

Foliage colour:

Bronze

Green

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.

How to grow Dionaea muscipula

Plant size

10cm height

10cm spread
Aspect

South facing

Sun exposure: Full sun
Soil type: Acidic / boggy
Plant care: Needs regular watering in pots

Plant calendar

A table displaying which months are best to sow, plant and harvest.
Flowers
	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Flowers	J	F	M	A	M	J	J	A	S	O	N	D