Help with planting Darlingtonia on a stream.

[Randy Zerr]

Looks like a good experiment and for the simplicity of the arrangement probably the best one could do to reproduce a Darlingtonia habitat. I too would be concerned about flooding, as Bob mentioned without seeing more of the terrain and stream channel. Even after plants rooted, if a rise in the creek occurs moderate current across your mini-bog will likely dislodge your medium and wash much of it away. Although changing stream channels causes erosion which I would not want to do, a few large rocks placed in the open stream behind the plants that would be higher than the water would reduce current if it did get that high.

[Clint]

Wouldn't that defeat the purpose of planting in/on running water? Or would it still be running subterraneanly? That's actually a good idea, and I can't see the harm since it actually starts as one stream of water, splits in two, then converges again before flowing a short distance into the lake.

[Randy Zerr]

You would have to picture what the creek looked like if it were 6 inches or more higher. Would it be a torrential flash flood? Is there evidence that it floods ever? You can bet the water will be rushing much faster if it does rise. You would want to prevent your mini-bog from turning into a gold rush prospectors sluice box. And some years later Darlingtonia is spotted growing along the creek 2 miles downstream.

[Clint]

To me knowledge, we've never had more than six inches (really bad storms, but not a flood or anything) but there's a first for everything We have never, ever had a flood. It's never disturbed anything growing on the bank (so I'm very confident that the Darlingtonia on the bank will be fine) or even anything rooted in the middle but it could wash away the Darlingtonia in the water if it got a bit higher than that. Or at least the media. I'm definitely going to add two or three large boulders on the side where the water hits it. That was a great idea, and you may have just saved my plants! This creek is very short... maybe 250 meters from the spring where it's fed to the lake, so it's not like I've got the force of a long creek collecting rain for miles to deal with. One flood is all it takes, though.

We'll see. I didn't pay anything for these plants; I just traded plants I would have given away this fall anyway (college). I've really got the attitude of "If they live they live, if they don't they don't." about this. I'm definitely trying to give them the best conditions I can. Who knows. Several years from now they may spread via stolons out into the middle of the creek and root in the gravel. I'd be such a proud papa

[petmantis]

Any news on your streamside Darlingtonia bog, Clint? This seems to have been a really cool experiment, are they barely alive, dead, or thriving?

[meadowview]

Hi Clint:

I too want to know how successful this has been. We've got some Darlingtonia cultivation news to report but I want to make sure we get through a hot season first.

Sincerely,

Phil Sheridan
Meadowview

[jameison]

looks like they might need more water with how far up the ones further away in the picture are. You should try 'n put in some cold hardy drosera rotundifolia. I often see d.rotundifolia growing with the cobras in the wild.