History
Sarracenia, or American Pitcher Plants, are indigenous to the eastern seaboard of the United States, into Texas and the Great Lakes area, and southeastern Canada, with most species occurring only in the southeast United States. These charming plants have been known to science since 1576, yet while being native to the United States, they have quite an extensive history of cultivation in England. Sarracenia were very popular in British gardens in the nineteenth century (1880 on) and not widely grown in the USA until introduced back to us. Today, the UK is home to many specialized Sarracenia nurseries, as well as national collections of Sarracenia and the British Carnivorous Plant Society. So it is no wonder why myself and other USA growers are eager to get our hands on Sarracenia from the UK and beyond!
Sarracenia Elizabeth H89 MK
Cultivation
A quick glance through the ICPS cultivar registry shows a blend of Sarracenia cultivars being described from around the world (https://cpn.carnivorousplants.org/CultivarDescriptions.php). Some USA classics instantly stand out- Adrian Slack, Leah Wilkerson, Saurus... these are all beautiful staples in my garden. Gorgeous UK cultivars like Juthatip Soper, Leviathan, as well as cultivars from France, Italy, and the Czech Republic are also listed. However, what isn't officially registered through the ICPS is often more interesting, at least to myself.
Sarracenia ASBO
A new arrival from last year, and instant favorite in my garden is Sarracenia ASBO. This clone originates from South West Carnivorous Plants in the UK. Fun fact for us in the US: ASBO stands for "Anti-social Behavior Orders" - a civil order made in Great Britain against a person who had been shown, on the balance of evidence, to have engaged in anti-social behaviour. This is a beast of a plant that is still quite uncommon in the US. I'm looking forward to growing it up and making seed with it.
Sarracenia leucophylla Bulbosa x Bocaza
Another intimidating plant created overseas is this leucophylla species cross- Bulbosa x Bocaza. Bocaza is Spanish for "big mouth," and it certainly lives up to it's name. I have two individuals of this cross growing up and am excited to see how large they get. Seed was created by a grower in Italy.
Synthesis
Sarracenia (oreophila x Adrian Slack) x Helen Mary
-or-
USA meets UK
At this point, there is plenty of intermingling of "UK" and "USA" plants in collections due to the popularity of the hobby in 2023. I thought it would be fun to cross a distinctly "West Coast" USA plant- in this case oreophila x Adrian Slack bred by Rob Co, with a standout UK moorei -Helen Mary- bred by Mike King. You can see one of the results in the above photo. I hope to make more UK meets USA plants in the future.
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