Oblong-leaved sundew (Drosera intermedia) - seeds

The native insect catcher for your bog garden

Scope of delivery: 30+ seeds each.

Bring a fascinating piece of local nature into your garden! The oblong-leaved sundew is one of three sundew species that are also native to Germany. It is one of the carnivorous plants and enchants with its countless dew drops, which glisten in the sun, especially in the morning hours, waiting for a rich catch.

Growth & Appearance

• Lifespan: Perennial and long-lived.

• Height: A rather delicate plant, which usually only grows up to approx. 5cm high.

• Habit: Grows in a rosette shape. The reddish leaves are covered with fine tentacles with sticky drops at their tips.

• Overwintering: It is completely hardy and in autumn forms a so-called winter rosette (hibernaculum) into which the plant retreats, and with which it survives the icy winter months.

Origin Drosera intermedia is found across almost the entire Northern Hemisphere. It grows naturally in wet, acidic moors and swamp areas. However, its population in the wild is in steep decline, as these sensitive natural habitats are unfortunately becoming increasingly rare.

Trapping mechanism & special features Instead of drawing nutrients from the soil via deep roots (which is hardly possible in a bog), the sundew has adapted to its barren environment: it catches its own fertilizer! Small insects like mosquitoes get stuck on the sticky "dew drops." The leaves then slowly curl around the prey, and special enzymes digest the catch.

Usage For enthusiasts, maintenance is excellently possible even in one's own garden (in a created bog bed or a large bog container). IMPORTANT NOTE: These are absolutely not houseplants! They need the seasons, fresh air, and winter dormancy outdoors.

Historical & Curious facts Because of its glistening drops, the sundew was often valued by alchemists in the past, who considered the secretion to be "sun water" and brewed magic potions from it. Today, the plant's greatest magic is its ingenious adaptation to extreme, nutrient-poor habitats.

Location, care & other important things Anyone who keeps carnivorous plants must follow a few golden rules, as they operate very differently from normal garden plants:

• Location: The oblong-leaved sundew absolutely requires a full sun location.

• Substrate: Normal potting soil is fatal! The plants need a special peat-based substrate (or unfertilized, acidic substrate suitable for carnivorous plants). Available here!

• Watering: Only water with rainwater (alternatively distilled water)! Tap water contains lime and nutrients, which destroy the roots. The plants must be watered using the so-called tray method – the substrate should therefore be kept constantly very wet (the pot can effectively stand in water).

Sowing instructions: Oblong-leaved sundew (Drosera intermedia)

Growing carnivorous plants requires a little patience, but it is an absolutely fascinating experience!

When to sow?

• Direct sowing: The seeds absolutely need a cold period before germinating (they are so-called cold germinators). Therefore, it is best to sow them directly before winter (autumn to early winter) on-site.

How to sow?

• The right bed: Prepare a pot or the bog bed with the wet special substrate (peat base).

• Sowing depth (light-dependent germinators!): The seeds of Drosera are dust-fine and absolute light-dependent germinators. Sprinkle them only superficially onto the soaked substrate and press them down at most very lightly. Under no circumstances cover with soil!

• Germination conditions: Leave the pot or bed outside over the winter (always keep wet!). The cold breaks the seed dormancy.

• Germination: As soon as the days in spring get warmer and brighter again, the tiny seeds begin to germinate. First, microscopic green dots appear, which soon develop their first tiny sticky drops.