Scarlet Belle Pitcher Plant

Scarlet Belle Pitcher Plant (Sarracenia x wrigleyana 'Scarlet Belle') is a carnivorous plant that grows as a low rosette of hooded white tubes, each heavily veined with blood red. It stays only 10 to 20cm high, traps insects in its pitchers and deepens in colour through autumn. It is a striking plant, but it has needs: a bog, rainwater and a cool winter.

Why you'll love it

• Veined, hooded tubes. White pitchers streaked with blood red look like nothing else in the garden.
• Colour deepens in autumn. The red veining intensifies as the weather cools.
• It catches its own food. Hairs lining each tube stop insects from climbing back out, so the plant feeds itself on ants and other small insects.
• No fertiliser needed. It wants no feeding at all, so there is no fertiliser to buy.
• Cold hardy. It needs a cool winter and can survive snow and ice, which suits the cooler parts of the country.

Where it works best

Bog tubs and wetland planters. Grow it in a pot that sits in a saucer of rainwater, or plant 20cm apart in a shared bog tub.

Courtyards and balconies. A sunny position shows off the pitchers, and the small size suits a table or step.

Cool winter gardens. It is a wetland plant for areas with a proper winter, where a month of low single digit temperatures is normal.

Growing Scarlet Belle Pitcher Plant in Australia

Position and climate. Give it full sun and a cool winter. It needs at least a month of low single digit temperatures, so it suits cool temperate gardens and the cooler warm temperate districts. Frost free subtropical and tropical gardens do not give it the winter rest it needs.

Soil. Plant it in an acid mix, ideally equal parts sphagnum or peat moss, horticultural sand and perlite. Ordinary potting mix is too rich, because the mix must be extremely low in phosphorus and nitrogen.

Water and feed. Keep the soil wet through the growing seasons. The easiest way is to stand the pot in a saucer of rainwater. Do not fertilise it. In mid autumn, drain the saucer and keep the soil damp until spring, to give the plant its rest.

Pruning. None is needed. Cut off pitchers that turn brown and dry, and the plant will produce new ones.

What to expect when it arrives

We sell Scarlet Belle Pitcher Plant as tube stock, a young plant in an 80mm deep tube that establishes quickly. Young plants make small pitchers at first and grow into their full size over a few seasons. Tube stock comes from our grower and is not always available. When the grower has none, the tube shows as sold out on this page, and the notify button emails you the day it is back.

Plants travel upright and settle fast. Pot up soon after delivery in a bog mix of sphagnum or peat moss, sand and perlite, then stand the pot in rainwater.

Plants are delivered Australia wide, with delivery from $29.95. Every plant is covered by our 30 day healthy plant guarantee.

Plant care guides and related reading

• Exotic and rare plants
• Plants that suit pots and containers
• Plants for full sun
• Browse tubestock plants

Common questions

What water should I use?

Rainwater. Keep the pot standing in a saucer of it through the growing season, and top it up as it drops. In mid autumn drain the saucer and keep the soil just damp until spring.

Do I need to feed it insects?

No. It catches its own, and the tubes are lined with hairs that keep insects from escaping. Do not fertilise the plant, because the potting mix must stay extremely low in phosphorus and nitrogen.

Can I keep it indoors?

It makes an unusual display plant in a bright spot, but it needs a cool winter of at least a month of low single digit temperatures. Plan to keep it outside for the cold months.