A bog garden doesn't have to be all pitcher plants. A lot of plants share the same wet, sunny, nutrient-poor ground, and they bring flowers to the party. Here are a few we grow alongside our carnivores.
Orange fringe orchid (Platanthera ciliaris)
We've always had a soft spot for this one. It grows in the same longleaf pine areas of the Gulf Coast as Sarracenia and can sit with your pitcher plants year-round. It puts on a full display in mid-summer. It's a slow divider, but a rewarding plant — we plan to separate our parent plants and sell offsets.
Habenaria
Not carnivorous, but a very rewarding bog orchid that puts on a fun show every year. Many are native to Southeast Asia, though some Habenaria grow in North America. People generally overlook them — except when they see them in bloom at a show. We pot ours up in spring as they begin their season.
Bog wildflowers
Polygala lutea — a.k.a. "bog cheeto" — throws bright orange flower heads. Sabatia foliosa adds pink stars. And early summer brings bog orchid season.
In fall, nodding lady's tresses (Spiranthes cernua) pop up through our Sarracenia garden. These native orchids are showy alongside the leucophylla and spread quickly by rhizomes or seed.
For the Heliamphora shelf
Companions aren't just for outdoor bogs. Orectanthe sceptrum (Ptari Tepui 'blue') comes from the flat-topped tepuis of Venezuela, near where Heliamphora grow, and makes a great companion for them.
Want to see some of these in the wild? Read about our Florida Panhandle bog stomp.