carnivorous plants are pretty easy to care for. but their growing requirements must be met if you want to grow them successfully.

1) During the growing season ( Late February - Late October) these plants appreciate atleast 4 - 6 hours of direct sunlight, Yes Some shade is fine. They also love having their soil moist, also a semi-flooded condition can be benefitial. I grow my flytraps, sarracenias and sundews outdoors all year round, they love the full sun they recieve and they love the humidity in their soil.

When fall and winter approach, flytraps, sarracenias, temperate butterworts and temperate sundews fall dormant during this time of year. Their soil must be kept moist but not soaked during this winter period.(feeding is not required either) But then after around february, they begin to grow again.

2) I never built an artificial bog garden before. But there's people in the forum that do have built bog gardens. they will gladly help you out. However, If i ever built one iwould still grow my plants outdoors all year round still.

3) No fertilizer is needed.

Peat moss, perlite, vermiculite, sand, sphagnum peatmoss, live sphagnum Are the types of soil you may use for carnivorous plants.

When watering your plants, ALWAYS use purified water, or rain water. Most locations have tap water that contains salts or chlorine. i personaly avoid tap water for my plants. You may fill gallons of water at your local supermarket for 25 cents a gallon. it's easier this way.

Everytime you water your plants make sure that they have a tray below their containers. fill the saucer atleast 1 1/2" inch tall of water, then sumerge the pot/container above the water and let the container sink into the water slowly. This will keep the plants' soil moist at all times during the growing season. this is called the "tray method" watering.

never allow your plants' soil dry out during the growing season(late february - late october)

***venus' flytraps, Sarracenias, butterworts, and sundews can definatly grow well in your Area, These Plants can be growned outdoors all year round.

Nepenthes, butterworts, sundews, blatterworts can be growned indoors in a bright/sunny windowsill.

I bought some carnivorous plants from online stores, but most of my carnivorous plants were bought in local hardware stores such as Home Depot.

You may find reputable carnivorous plants nurseries online.

Here's a few websites:

www.flytraps.com

www.cobraplant.com

www.californiacarnivores.com

Ok, lets see...

1) Yes, direct sunlight... If you give them partial shade, aim for letting them have it in the hot afternoon hours. I once baked a sundew because all it got was afternoon sun.

2) ok, a bog garden. Yes, if you're putting them outdoors, a bog garden would be fine. I would suggest putting them in something non metalic though (aside from the rust issue) sometimes metal can add stuff to the water as it breaks down. CPs need clean distilled non mineral rich water. (rain water works too) Their roots don't like minerals... that's why they suck on bugs.

3)no fertilizer is nessisarry for most CPs but some of them (Nepenthes is the main one I can think of) do like monthly mistings of Orchid food... but it has to be dilluted to 1/4 of its normal concentration or so.

4... was there a 4?... well, I guess soil can be a 4. Different plants do best in different mixes of mediums. Fly traps for example, do well in half spagnum peat, half sand.

The carolinas are home to the Venus Fly Trap. Most of the american carnivors should thrive in your zone. You'll have to ready for winter domancy for Sarracenia or fly traps. Lets see... Check out the book "the Savage Garden" hopefully it'll be in your library. (thats where I found my first copy) It will put you on the path. Lets see... some of the best sites are already listed above. I guess if you have questions about what's what you can check out my site. I have pics of what I'm growing right now maybe that'll help too.

Here is a link that might be useful: Tangled Web of Aracknight

Thank you both! I think I will pick up one of the local hardware store varieties for some instant gratification but I like all three of the sites mentioned above. I am beginning to think that this is not really the time to put in a serious order since everything is getting ready to go dormant.

I do have a very bright sunroom and it might be fun to try one of the more tender varieties in the house over the winter. I don't heat that room but it seldom drops below 50 degrees.

I do a mixture of things. Many sundews, butterworts, bladderworts, and Asian pitcher plants do well sitting at SW window sills. American pitcher plants and Venus Flytraps do best when outside. I keep mine, along with some sundews in buckets, filled with sand, peat, and long fibered spahgnum. They are "minibogs". They can be toted to my cold attic for dormancy. It just depend what you are interested in keeping.

Here is a link that might be useful: pics

My lanced leaf Sundews are in pots in pure long fibered spahgnum only getting bright west window light. My sarrs and VFTs are outside in pots and will be moved inside into the cold attic probably today since we got down to 31F last night.

Tom