One of my favorite things to do with reddit is to find random, preferably low-activity subreddits in some obscure topic or interest. I’ll subscribe, and hopefully have each one pay off with a quality post in some oddball topic. So while shuffling while catching up on Dragon Ball Super fansubs, I found and subscribed to /r/Savage Garden, a community of 12,000 or so folks united by a love of 90s-00s middle-school-slow-dance jams – oh, wait, no, it’s not that at all. It’s actually a community full of carnivorous plant enthusiasts - and somehow that’s a hundred times better than a bunch of folks stoked on posting old live footage of Truly Madly Deeply.

So, naturally, I started reading up on carnivorous plants - did you know that the Venus flytrap’s name comes from the dirty minds of 18th century naturalists? They’re apparently native to the Carolinas (who knew?), and are only moderately challenging to care for. Now, being someone who isn’t afraid of a moderate challenge, and also being someone who thinks carnivorous plants are cool as hell, I figured I’d try my hand at growing a few.

Kershaw and Typhon
Kershaw, pitcher plant, and Typhon, Venus flytrap

I went to my local nursery and grabbed a pitcher plant (most likely Sarracenia Rosea) and a VFT (Dionaea muscipula). Got some sphagnum peat moss, perlite, and a few clay pots. Repotted them and set ‘em out in the full sun. It’s been a week, and I’m not sure if this is premature or not, but I think the fact that they aren’t shriveled and dead yet is testament to my nurturing spirit and natural green thumb. What’s more, I’m pretty sure new leaves/traps are emerging from Typhon (the VFT, so named for the mythological Greek giant with a hundred snakes growing from his shoulders), so I’d say that’s a plus. I think Kershaw (the pitcher plant. Get it??) is also growing a fresh pitcher. Dope!

I can already tell that this is one of those weird things/hobbies where a bit of success early on only encourages the madness. Are there crazy carnivorous plant people, the same way there are crazy cat/dog people? I guess we’ll know if I start making slow-mo/time-lapse montages of insect kills.

Keep it locked to see just how many Savage Garden (like the band) puns I can make while growing these things.