Garden Machinery
Garden Leisure
- Greenhouse Heaters
- Loungers
- Midgeaters
- Gas Barbecues
- Charcoal Barbecues
- Masonry Barbecues
- Furniture Sets
- Benches
- Greenhouses
- Water and Light
- Garden Sheds
- Gazebos
- Firepits
- Wildlife Boxes
- Rock and Stone
- Weather Vanes
- Rabbit Hutches
- Urns & Planters
- Sundials
- Birdbaths
- Garden Swings
- Climbing Frames
- Croquet Sets
- Wildlife Cameras
- Bird Feed
Water feature carnivorous plants
Increasingly, people are using pond and water feature areas to set up collections of these fascinating and somewhat eerie plants.
Carnivorous plants trap and digest small creatures, and because they absorb their nutrients from this source, rather than from the soil, they need highly specialised conditions. Because they obtain their food through specially adapted leaves that act first as traps and then as stomachs, they tend to have very poor root systems because they dont need to search for nutrients in the soil. This means that ordinary garden soils can actually kill them, because the rich nutrient load they carry overpowers the plants. Instead they relish wet or very marshy ground, with little or no nitrogen, some grow in wet sand and some do well in spaghum moss. In each case, appropriate location around a pond edge can give them the perfect conditions in which to thrive.
Sundews grow naturally in Europe and their proper name is dosera droseraceae. They have green strap like leaves ending in sticky red glandular hairs that trap insects. The sticky dew is produced by the plant itself. Each flower lasts only a day but they are replaced in quick succession to give a very impressive show.
The pinguicula is also known as butterwort or bog violet and has, unsurprisingly, vivid violet-blue flowers, which appear between the pale green leaves. These leaves also produce a clear dewy liquid to attract insects, and the dew is suspended on tentacles that close around the insect once it has landed!
