One of the easiest carnivorous plants to grow Drosera capensis requires little more than a nutrient poor, acid soil, bright light and plenty of water. Rainwater or Reverse Osmosis water should be used as tap water usually contains either too many nitrates and phosphates and/ or has too high a PH and hardness. Originating from marshes in South Africa it can be a little tender but we have found it to be reliably hardy when grown in the ground in the South of England Zone 9 gardens.

If growing outside we would recommend growing with full sun in an acidic bog garden or in a poorly drained container plunged into the ground. When growing in a pot then it is a good idea to bring it under cold glass just in case the pot freezes solid. Saying that our plants down in the south of England have now done three winters outside and although the top growth has been killed off they have always come back into leaf by late May. Whether or not they can survive anything lower than -5c for short periods of time is yet to be seen. Although it does require wet soils it actually does not like too much rain on the leaves so it may be worth placing a clear plastic cover over the top during wet winters when outdoors. If growing indoors place in a full sun position and never allow the compost to dry out. Place the pot in a drip tray and keep the tray constantly full of water.

The elongated spatula like leaves are held above the crown on long broad stalks and the upper surface are covered with stout, red glandular hairs. Each of the hairs bear a drop of sticky, bug catching resin that makes the plant look like it is covered in morning dew. Once an insect has landed and stuck to the sticky dew a mechanism is triggered causing the leaf to slowly roll around the bug trapping it for its slow digestion. In summer five-petaled pink flowers are produced on 30cm tall stems.

Sent as a young plant in a 9cm pot. Sent as dormant plants in winter. 

Additional Photos By No machine-readable author provided. NoahElhardt assumed (based on copyright claims). - No machine-readable source provided. Own work assumed (based on copyright claims)., CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=702006, By Michal Rubeš - http://www.darwiniana.cz/vamr/?page=obrazek&id=259, CC BY 3.0 cz, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=8750403