An undigested problem

Letter from Usman Bek

A month ago I went to a local garden centre in order to purchase a small amount of beech hedging. While I was there I saw that they had a Venus Fly-trap advertised for sale. I have always wanted to own a carnivorous plant and so I made enquiries. It was quite a lot more expensive than I had thought it might be but I obviously must have had a rush of blood to the head and ended up buying it. I took it home and placed it in a warm, sunny spot as advised. Since then it has done nothing. I have tried to feed it various insects and even a very small piece of chicken. But the live insects simply fly off or crawl out and the dead ones lie there undigested. I have looked at several pictures of other Venus Fly-traps and, although it looks reasonably like one, I'm not sure if it looks exactly the same. I have been back to the garden centre several times and the manager there keeps on saying that it's probably not hungry yet. I'm not sure about this since some research on the internet told me that they feed quite regularly. I am beginning to wonder if I've been fobbed off with a cactus or some other succulent that looks like a Venus Fly-trap. What are my options?

Felicity answers:

I must say I think your best option would be to abandon the whole thing. I'm not at all sure I like the idea of plants having appetites. In my garden, I have roses and honeysuckle - and the like - smelling sweetly and looking attractive, I have no desire to see my herbaceous border tucking into the insect life: chewing and burping away amongst the shrubbery. Still, if you must pursue this rather unpleasant hobby of serving food to your flora, then your first step is clearly to have your plant identified by a reputable botanist. If it is not the species it was claimed to be by the garden centre, then you should probably contact your local Trading Standards office. Though, what they will make of your complaint is anyone's guess.