Sacramento Bromeliad and Carnivorous Plant Society hosts 55th annual show and sale
A pitcher plant blooms in a Sacramento backyard. Debbie Arrington
In most gardens, bugs eat plants. But these plants eat bugs.
Discover the fascinating world of carnivorous plants during the 55th annual Sacramento Bromeliad and Carnivorous Plant Society Show and Sale, set for this Saturday and Sunday, June 21 and 22, at Shepard Garden and Arts Center.
Show and sale hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday. Admission and parking are free.
Club members will be on hand to answer questions and offer advice. An excellent selection of plants will be offered for sale. Find pitcher plants, sundews, butterworts, nepenthes (tropical pitcher plants or “monkey cups”) and other bug eaters as well as tillandsia (air plants) and bromeliads in a rainbow of hues. Don’t miss the Venus flytraps!
(One tip: Use rain water or distilled water for these plants. They’re very sensitive to chlorine and other chemicals in tap water.)
This show is fun for all ages. Kids love to experience the bug eaters in action and learn how these plants have evolved to feed themselves. Grown-ups are attracted to the colorful bromeliads, which instantly make a garden – or a room – feel tropical.
See hundreds of intriguing bug-devouring specimens, with several carnivorous species that are right at home in Sacramento. North American pitcher plants, for example, can be grown outdoors in our area. Also known as Sarracenia, they do particularly well as part of a backyard water feature such as a half wine barrel or small pond; their roots get the boggy conditions they prefer while the plants have access to insects that may fly by.
California also has its own native pitcher plant: The cobra lily or California pitcher plant (Darlingtonia californica). A member of the Sarracenia family, the cobra lily is native to sunny wet areas such as stream banks or bogs throughout Northern California. Cobra lilies need cold to thrive, but also require summer heat protection.
“Growing Darlingtonia californica in your own bog garden requires patience and diligence,” says the U.S. Forest Service. “Cool nights are required and as the temperatures warm up in the summer months keeping the roots cool during the day is a must.”
Because they evolved to grow in such poor soil, carnivorous plants get most of their nourishment from insects that can become trapped in their specialized (often sticky) foliage. Likewise, bromeliads trap moisture and nutrients in the center of their swirl of colorful foliage.
Shepard Center is located at 3330 McKinley Blvd., Sacramento, in McKinley Park.
Details and directions: www.sgaac.org.
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Food in My Back Yard Series
July 8: Tear out that sad plant or baby it? Midsummer decisions
July 1: How to grow summer salad greens
June 24: Weird stuff that's perfectly normal
June 17: Help pollinators help your garden
June 10: Battling early-season tomato pests
June 3: Make your own compost
May 27: Where are the bees when you need them?
May 20: How to help tomatoes thrive on hot days
May 13: Your plants can tell you more than any calendar can
May 6: Maintain soil moisture with mulch for garden success
April 29: What's (already) wrong with my tomato plants?
April 22: Should you stock up on fertilizer? (Yes!)
April 15: Grow culinary herbs in containers
April 8: When to plant summer vegetables
April 1: Don't be fooled by these garden myths
March 25: Fertilizer tips: How to 'feed' your vegetables for healthy growth
March 18: Time to give vegetable seedlings some more space
March 11: Ways to win the fight against weeds
March 4: Potatoes from the garden
Feb. 25: Plant a fruit tree now -- for later
Feb. 18: How to squeeze more food into less space
Feb. 11: When to plant? Consider staggering your transplants
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Garden Checklist for week of June 29
We're into our typical summer weather pattern now. Get chores, especially watering, done early in the morning while it's cool.
* It’s not too late to add a splash of color. Plant petunias, snapdragons, zinnias and marigolds.
* From seed, plant corn, pumpkins, radishes, winter squash and sunflowers. Plant Halloween pumpkins now.
* Keep your vegetable garden watered, mulched and weeded. Water before 8 a.m. to reduce the chance of fungal infection and to conserve moisture.
* Water, then fertilize vegetables and blooming annuals, perennials and shrubs to give them a boost. Feeding flowering plants every other week will extend their bloom.
* Don’t let tomato plants wilt or dry out completely. Give tomatoes a deep watering two to three times a week.
* Harvest vegetables promptly to encourage plants to produce more. Squash especially tends to grow rapidly in hot weather. Keep an eye on zucchini.
* Pinch back chrysanthemums for bushy plants and more flowers in September.
* Harvest tomatoes, squash, peppers and eggplant. Prompt picking will help keep plants producing.
* Remove spent flowers from roses, daylilies and other bloomers as they finish flowering.
* Pinch off blooms from basil so the plant will grow more leaves.
* Cut back lavender after flowering to promote a second bloom.
* Give vegetable plants bone meal or other fertilizers high in phosphate to stimulate more blooms and fruiting.
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