We have pitcher plants – Sarracenia – in our garden in San Francisco, which are the most peculiar plants. The leaves and flowers in this book are loosely based on “Sarracenia x Judith Hindle” which has filled a pot over the last several years from edge to edge with tall, strange leaves, and flowers that resemble space ships, or perhaps fireworks.
The first batch of flowers appeared from a barren hill of moss, looking more like acorns on a string than anything else. And to a neighboring squirrel, they certainly looked delicious, and within days a few of them were whisked away, eaten or perhaps planted, as squirrels like to do, in nearby pots of dirt.
The remaining flowers were protected, and then opened into something unlike any flower I’ve ever seen, similar to the examples here. The leaves then slowly grew up around the flower stalks, and the flowers persisted, happily, for almost 8 months, longer than even our orchids.
I showed some of the leaves and flowers to the staff at the garden shop in Berkeley (The Cactus Jungle, 1509 4th Street, Berkeley)where we bought the original plants. They surprised even the most experienced gardeners, who thought they were quite real, even after touching them and looking closely.
And I continue, with a box of vivid indigo and black pitchers soon, with candy-colored irridescent pitchers to follow.
