Some pics of winter dormant carnies

 Look at these carnie! So ugly from their winter sleep. And they sleep still.

People often see my carnies sitting outside in the cold, rain, and snow, and politely ask me why I leave my plants to die?  Even when I tell them they need this time, people tend to be hesitant to accept my response, despite this being my third season with the same plants!!

They need their cold, dark sleep to break their dormancy. At a biochemical level, without vernalization, some plants can't "remember" to start producing Florigen again, and will stay in a state of dormancy, as is the case with my carnies. These are hardy plants and are used to being exposed to the snow regularly. Some carnivorous plants are native to warmer climates as in the south, but even they go through a period of winter chill.

On that note, I should say that chilling is different than vernalization. Vernalization is when the cold breaks the endodormancy of plants, while "chilling" is when cold is required for a plant to flower, such as lettuce.

<---- You can see last years flower on "Random Hybrid." I did not name this cultivar, that was on the label I was given. I imagine it was open pollinated and they couldnt figure out what happened. I just love it though; It has a beautiful amber color, gorgeous in the summer evening sun. I'm hoping I can produce some more of these myself, just for fun :)

 And finally, some proof of my sucesses: New growth on my Sarracenia Oreophila. The Oreophila is by far the hardiest plant I have and the most vigorous grower. My Leucophylla isnt far behind, but we shall see how the newer ones fare this year. The Random hybrid and the small red sarracenia are actually going into their second season with me.

<---- new growth in the center of the plant

Spring is waking up

The carnies are still sleeping, and I can't wait to see how they weathered their third season! Many changes since August. I have moved to Corvallis, so no more driving!

I still have chenille, and she continues her recovery...a word of advice: dont almost kill these chenille plants!! Its been almost two years and shes barely got her vigor back.