This time of year can be a little depressing as a grower of temperate Sarracenia outdoors. While the fall growers are still putting on their big push through the end of October winter, and the dormancy that comes with it, is just around the corner. Even here in Atlanta where our winters are relatively short and mild, the thought of nearly 5 months of no new growth from our outdoor collection can really put a damper on our spirits!
Luckily, if you have a little bit of excess space and an interest in growing your own North American pitcher plants from seed, this can be a very exciting time of the year where you can enjoy your plants even in the depths of winter! I’ve been growing Sarracenia from seed for about 10 years now and remember having many questions when I started out. The biggest of these was, “where do I get the best seeds so I can have the nicest plants once they’re grown?”
Newly germinating seeds! 
These are entering year #2 
These seedlings are about ~2 years old
While many vendors continue to sell seed year-round, the best hybrids and crosses will typically sell out very fast, so now is the time to make your orders as soon as possible!
Well this year I’m happy to share with you all of my favorite sources for seeds! No secrets here – these nurseries, growers and breeders are our absolute favorite sources, with nothing held back! So if you’re a beginner, take a peek over the list and reach out to these sources if you’re looking to start your own seed grown collection this fall and winter!
- Breeding your own crosses: This option takes some foresight and assumes you already have some large flowering-sized plants that you like, but making your own crosses in the Spring allows you to custom-make hybrids with all your favorite plants! On top of that, you will be guaranteed the freshest seeds and will likely have more than you need, which can be sold or traded to other growers. We plan on making a post on breeding and pollinating flowers in the Spring, but in the meantime there are plenty of great resources that can be found online such as this post on the carnivorous plant resource or this helpful video from the folks at Sarracenia Northwest.
- Jeremiah Harris: Anyone who follows the carnivorous plant community in the United States should follow Jeremiah’s incredible instagram account for content covering pretty much every imaginable kind of carnivorous plant in existence, but did you know he also breeds his own Sarracenia crosses?!? This year, he’s published a list with all of his Sarracenia (and Venus flytrap) crosses available to the public! Make sure to make your order soon because these seeds are sure to go fast!
- Phil Faulisi: Phil is a notorious Sarracenia breeder who has created over a dozen named cultivars that are the envy of many Sarracenia growers across the country including ‘Saurus’, ‘Vintner’s Treasure’, ‘Mega Mouth’ and ‘Super Heavy Veins’. He posts a list of his excess seed each fall that is quick to sell out! Unfortunately this year his main list is already sold out, however he has told me he still has small quantities available of select crosses that can be ordered by contacting him directly on Facebook or instagram
- Danny Powell: Another established West coast breeder, Danny has been growing Sarracenia for quite a while now and also maintains a list of seeds and plants that he has available. Having ordered from him in the past he comes highly recommended and has some really great crosses this year!
- The Sarracenia Forum Annual Auction (Ends Oct 16): The Sarracenia forum is a great place to poke around for great Sarracenia content any time of year, but this year they are putting on a great auction in October of both plants and seeds to benefit the conservation work done by Meadowview Biological Research Institute in Virginia! There are already a ton of great listings up (I’m bidding on a handful) and it benefits a great cause! If you want to have a chance at some of these amazing crosses and supporting a great cause make sure to bid this week before it ends!
- Flytrap King: Already recommended as one of our favorite Sarracenia vendors, Flytrap King also offers a great amount of unique, colorful high quality crosses on their website! As someone who has grown seed received from them for several years now, their crosses are always super colorful and shapely! You can’t go wrong ordering from them.
- International Carnivorous Plant Society Seed Bank: This one requires a membership to the ICPS (Only $30/year) to be able to access, but there are typically a handful of Sarracenia seed packets available from the seed bank. These are usually the cheapest way to get started with seeds selling from only $4-$6 per packet.
- Cook’s Carnivorous Plants: Dean Cook has been growing Sarracenia in Oregon for well over 2 decades! This is the cheapest option if oyu’re just looking to get started with some seeds and don’t mind mixed, open pollinated hybrids. Dean is selling 40 seeds right now for only $1!
Once you’ve got your seeds be sure to check out the first video in our Sarracenia from Seed course! This video will give an overview into how to stratify your seed and the course will take you all the way to growing specimen Sarracenia like the ones in the photos above.