A rich source of nectar late in the year. In its natural habitat it is an important plant for butterflies and other insects as they go into the winter. The flowers in the picture are nearly over and the berries are beginning to swell. They will eventually be black and very decorative - but the reason it is such a successful invader in N America.

For me, nothing yet has superseded the huge peachy bloom of Medallion, but in my tiny backyard humid Maryland garden that doesn't get enough sun, I could never get one to take off - not the rose's fault at all, it' my problem garden. (Ironically, the oldy Mirandy cheap Home Depot bush is one of my best performers in this location with it's horrible clay soil). Abraham Darby has been a nice consolation, and now I am trying Tamora. I have always, always, wanted to try Apricot Nectar - so yes, for us light peach/apricot lovers, there is definite interest. Tamora replaced Marilyn Munroe for me, I have also tried Valencia (what a "jerky" way of growing that one had, plus the spontaneous cane die-backs) but there is nothing quite like a glorious Medallion - hmmm, maybe next spring I could try one in the front yard.....sometimes it blows fast in the heat but the bloom size and color are worth it!

Hello hero81, First off, a closed environment will not help the plant in any way, but tends to induce mold and weak growth. Venus Flytraps can grow just fine in lower humidity so long as you do not live in a desert with temperatures over 100 degrees where the plant is located. If the plant came in a humidity dome, take the dome off slowly by punching holes in it or lifting and bracing the sides a fraction of an inch every 3 days until it no longer holds humidity after two weeks, then take it completely off. Taking a humidity dome off a plant in one day is like a human jumping in a pool of freezing water. Slow adaptation is key to plant health. Adapt the plant to higher light levels slowly as well. In stores, those plants are often placed in a shady area and have lost their UV tolerance, so their leaves will burn and dry in bright sun. Place it in successively brighter windows starting with a morning sun window and ending with an all day sun window each week over the course of two weeks. Then try to get the plant outside in full sun or add florescent lights to supplement the window least 4 inches from the plant's leaves and of at least 40 watt shop light tube or 100 watt equivalent compact bulb replacement cool white varieties. Make sure the lumen output says 2000-3000 or more per light. Water the plant with mineral free water; tap water is usually too hard. Use distilled, rain, or reverse osmosis water that does not add salt to soften the water, salt is another mineral the plant will not like. Venus Flytraps like water, but do not like their roots drowned. Never over or under water the plant. Just make sure the soil is always moist and place a tray of water under the pot, making sure the pot has drainage holes in the bottom, and ensure that the water level in the tray does not go above 1/4 the pot height. Make sure that the plant has not been fertilized or potted in regular potting mix. That will kill the plant. It should be in long fiber sphagnum or a mix of sphagnum peat moss with either silica sand or perlite for drainage. Look for aphids and mealy bugs on the young leaves in the center of the plant. If you see any yellow, white, black, or orange pests crawling around, you can drown them in a bucket of water by submerging the entire plant for a day or two at a time. You can also use water based insecticides like pyrethrines and ortho or neem oil based products so long as none are soap based. Soap based products break down into fertilizer in the soil, so is another hazard for carnivorous plants. The problem with leaf deformity, non-formation, and dieback is that it could be from a number of problems. Just take a shotgun approach and make sure all the conditions are right for the plant. If in doubt, you can always repot the plant into fresh moss and perlite (make sure the moss is a bale of dry sphagnum peat and that neither product has anything added to it) to ensure that it is fertilizer and mineral free.

trolley_molly, I just want to second your vote for Angelo's. I've gotten some real deals there - you just have to really look at what you're buying. The japanese maple sale is sometimes incredible, as is the bulb sale. Angelo's son is a little more into talking about the plants, and he's much more visible in the business lately. He does the same thing as his father with the surprise discounts, too. There's also a young woman you often find at the register who is pretty knowledgable -you just have to catch them when they aren't swamped. The other thing that's great from Angelo's is their soil. They have a mix that's the best I've ever purchased. I also like the idea that they rescue trees and shrubs and resell them at bargain prices. It's definitely a risk, and they aren't going to deliver, but it's nice, too. I'm glad they're there if for no other reason than I can afford them! Wells, Molbaks, etc. just break the bank. Hey - someone bought a Tophat blueberry. Where did you buy it? I've ordered one twice and not gotten it either time.