A pitcher plant is a type of carnivorous plant that has tube-shaped leaves, hence the name pitcher plant. Along the rim of each pitcher are glands that secrete nectar. Insects are attracted to this nectar, so they buzz around, licking up all of the nectar they can. Some pitchers even produce an insect narcotic to sweeten the deal for them.

Just beneath the rim, on the inside of the pitcher, are glands that produce even more intoxicating nectar. This drives insects crazy, so they reach in, stretching as much as they can to reach the mother lode of nectar, and then they fall in!

With some pitcher plants, the tops of their pitchers are lined with hairs that point downward, preventing insects from crawling back out. Other pitcher plants simply have very smooth walls, which are too slippery on which for insects to crawl.

Depending on the pitcher plant, there may be fluid produced by the plant that slowly digests the insects. Other pitcher plants simply wait until the insect dies from heat exhaustion or starvation. As the insect decays, the plant absorbs the nutritious morsel, hence the name carnivorous plant.

Now, one of the reasons why I grow pitcher plants, specifically the North American varieties, is because I am lazy. Sure the insect-eating part sounds cool, but if these plants needed constant care and maintenance, I wouldnt even attempt to grow them.

Like my dog Hank, if you gave me a choice of taking a nap in the hot afternoon summer sun or having to provide constant attention to a collection of seemingly delicate plants, you bet I am going to take a nap and let those plants fend for themselves.

That is why North American pitcher plants, collectively known as Sarracenia, are the perfect plants for someone like myself. With these plants, all you need to do is set them outside in full sun, over water them and toss the fertilizer in the trashcan.

Far too many folks mistake Sarracenias as delicate prima donnas who need constant attention. These plants are actually quite adaptable to extreme conditions and grow very well in a variety of climates. In fact, you can find many of these plants growing in the wild from Eastern Texas through Georgia and all the way up into Canada!

Sarracenias are sun-loving bog plants and enjoy the summer heat. Like kids on a hot summer day, they revel in sitting in water and catching bugs. So set them in a big tray of water and let them catch bugs on their own. Remember, bugs are like little packets of fertilizer. So in a way, these plants fertilize themselves.

Now, how maintenance-free is that?

So no matter where you live in the world, you can grow just about any variety of Sarracenia outdoors. The varieties that are native to the southern regions of the United States are especially tough and adapt well to lower humidity and hot summer weather.

There are long-time pitcher plant enthusiasts in Los Angeles, Salt Lake City, Denver, Phoenix, Houston, Atlanta and Tampa who have successfully grown Sarracenia pitcher plants outdoors with very minimal care. Full sun and a tray of water are all they gave their plants.

Sure there are a few modifications to their care when the temperature approaches 110F (43C) or if you have very hard water, but it is nothing like having to mist your plants every hour on the hour or douse your plant with imported bottled water. In most instances, daily top watering is all that is necessary. You can do that when you get home from work, right?

Sarracenia pitcher plants really need nothing more than full sun and a tray of water to maintain their stunning and captivating appearance. With my collection of pitcher plants, I grow them strictly outdoors in 8-10 hours of direct sunlight. They all spend their days sitting in pools of water and catching bugs on their own.

Because they are native to the United States and Canada, pitcher plants will go dormant in winter and will tolerate fre