Dionaea muscipula

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.