I have several D. spatulata growing in different terrariums under artificial light and they flower like crazy! I've always let them flower and produce seed and it has never had any noticeably bad effect on them. They still produce dew, they still grow like weeds, yadda yadda freakin' yadda. I believe the "cutting off the flower stalks so the plant doesn't die" pertains mostly to Venus Flytraps who are notorious for becoming weak after flowering (this is if conditions aren't great). So I say let your plant flower, collect the seed, plant the seed, and keep growing more spatulata! Also, good luck with your sundew. Sounds like it'll be chomping on the big bugs in no time :)

alright then, sounds good. i was hoping that's what the consensus would be. now, do i need to pollinate anything, or do any kind of special ritual or something to get the seed to work? i'm assuming the flowers come up, petals eventually die and they produce a seed pod or something...?

(little help, i'm a newb [ten months] to this)

Most Drosera flowers self-polinate, and D. spatulata isn't any different. The flowers will open (usually for just a few hours), close up, wither, then a few weeks later turn black and you can bust the pods open to collect seed. Just know that the seed is VERY small, so you'll need to empty it out of the pod onto some white paper so you can see them. At this point you can either sow them immediately or put them in the fridge until you need them. Just remember that seeds lose their viability over time, so I usually sow them as soon as they come out of the pods.

what kind of place will sell Drosera spatulata.

Home Depot sell a variety of D. spathulata in these 3-inch pots. You can start there.

And if ya can't find any at Home Depot or Lowes, many of us have extra plants to palm off.... I mean share with you. This is an excellent beginner CP.