I am looking for unusual plants. High on my list is Indian Pink (I have 1 small plant that comes up every year but gets no bigger). I am also looking for Cobra Lily and different types of Jack-in-the-Pulpits (I have native and I think whipcord, and Japanese). Please check out my list and see if there is anything you like and if you have something unusual let me know what it is and I'm sure I'll want to trade.

I was excited to see 2 replies for my request and it turns out all I did was upset people! Kay and Karyn, If I have offended you with my request I apologise. I know the cost of these plants which is why I thought I would see if anyone would be kind enough to trade. I realize my list isn't the most glamourous which is why I was willing to do multiple trades for 1 plant. Once again I'm sorry if I have offended you. I'm unsure how to remove or close a posting so to anyone else who happens across this posting please disregard it.

Darlingtonia are a little more difficult than many carnivores. They like cool conditions and cool root run. They are also slow growers. They come from the Northern California coastal mountains where it is cloudy and cool all the time and their roots are in or near moving water. Tough carnivorous plants are Nepenthes Miranda and Ventrata (often available at big box stores). Miranda has quite large, colorful pitchers. Highland and intermediate elevation Nepenthes are generally pretty easy to grow as long as you don't let temps get too low. They are not as picky about water as drosera and sarracenia. I live in San Diego where my water has over 700 TDS and I water them with tap water. They don't seem to care. Sarracenias are also quite tough. Although in much of Arizona they will want shade to part shade due to lack of humidity and the amazing amount of sun and heat. These definitely need reverse osmosis, distilled or rain water if TDS is over 100. Drosera binata are easy but pretty much disappear during winter. They also prefer to have some shade in hot, high light conditions. Drosera capensis is quite tough also. Start with something that will be successful. Avoid Darlingtonia and Heliamphora until everybody is really into the hobby. I can totally recommend the Mike Wang sarracenia at California Carnivores. Big beautiful and healthy.

I've had more experience with killing cobra lilies than keeping them alive. But then again, it's the experimenting that has given me the results and I've learned a lot. One thing that I have learned about these plants is that one ought provide new surroundings with respect to not only what we have read from the experts, but also to go from point A to point B gradually (acclimation). My second cobra lily died pretty much from shock - taking it out of a Lowes cube and repotting into better conditions, but in summer heat.It withered within jours. My first plant was an attempt to provide it with cool, running water ovef its roots. So I anchored the pot at the edge of a streamlet. A 3" rainstorm dislodged it and sent it along a raging river, lost forever. I was given a group of seedlings and had them growing in a bucket, as a minibog. I asked about whether I should provide drainage holes and then decided to poke some in there. The water level went down and they withered. My last plant went through a proper dormancy in our cold attic and was placed outside in the spring. All was going well until they and my VFT's got attacked by mammalian critters. So I brought it (them ) inside to the screened window sill, where they began to recover. I asked about my suspended setup and was advised by a 14 year hobbyist to all ow the plant to be submerged in water. So I let it be 'open tray", sitting in water and the plant withered away. I have done cold stratification for seeds and so far I have nothing to show for it. Another thing I have learned about these planst is to be patient. They may appear to be dead or shocked to death, but I have seen weeks go by and then new life appears. Another thing I have learned is that while there a few absolutes, there's still a variety of ways, usually a variation on a theme, to cultivate them successfully. Lastly, it is best to get the plants in the best conditions you can provide and then refrain from changing them. Too much tweaking could easily result in plants that react. Greenfreak: Your best bet is to stick with cobra lilys, VFT's and Sarracenias, with maybe a few temperate sundews (D. binata, filiformis, rotundifolia, and intermedia) Alyss: My guess is that your temps are on the warm side of acceptable, but dormancy is mostly photoperiod and secondarily temperature. I really defer to Flytrpl8e since she is more experience than I and is a native to California. Lois: Your 2 cents is worth a million!