Tool
Dormancy planner by plant group and hemisphere
Some carnivorous plants must have a cold winter, some need none, and the Venus flytrap needs one only outdoors. Choose your plants and where they grow; the planner gives the season-by-season advice from the International Carnivorous Plant Society's growing guides [3, 4].
Which plants need a winter rest
| Plants | Winter rest | What it looks like |
|---|---|---|
| Venus flytraps | Outdoors in cold winters; not under lights indoors | Outdoors the plant stops growing and keeps small, low leaves through winter; the ICPS guide shows dormant plants looking like this for at least three months of the year.[3] |
| North American pitcher plants | Yes, every winter | Sarracenia are temperate plants that expect seasonal change; when fully dormant, potted plants can survive a few weeks frozen solid.[4] |
| Cobra lilies | Yes, every winter | Plants can take being frozen solid if they are fully dormant and the rhizomes are not exposed.[5] |
| Cold temperate sundews | Yes, every winter | Plants die back to a tight winter bud (hibernaculum). They need a definite winter to survive long term.[6] |
| Forked sundews | Yes, every winter | All forms go through dormancy: they stop making leaves and die back to the ground until the growth bud starts again.[7] |
| King sundews | Yes, every winter | Plants form loose hibernacula in winter and then survive light frosts well.[8] |
| Subtropical sundews | No | No dormancy or light cues are needed to survive long term; they do well between about 10 and 35 °C (50 to 95 °F).[9] |
| Mexican butterworts | A cooler, drier rest | Most species switch from sticky carnivorous summer leaves to succulent, non-carnivorous winter leaves.[10] |
| Cold temperate butterworts | Yes, every winter | At the start of autumn these species form winter buds so they can survive being frozen; they need cold winters.[11] |
| Warm temperate butterworts | Outdoors in cold winters; not under lights indoors | Grown outdoors within their natural range, they need protection during freezing weather.[12] |
| Marsh pitcher plants (Heliamphora) | No | No winter rest is described. On their tepui summits temperatures generally stay between 7 and 23 °C (45 to 74 °F) and do not fall below freezing.[13] |
How the planner works
Each plant group carries three things from the ICPS guides: whether it needs a winter rest, what that rest looks like, and the advice for autumn, winter and spring. Where a guide gives advice by USDA hardiness zone, as the Venus flytrap and Sarracenia guides do, choosing your zone adds the matching line [3, 4]. You can find your zone on the USDA map [2].
The month strip uses the meteorological seasons: in the Northern Hemisphere winter is December to February, spring March to May, summer June to August and autumn September to November, and the seasons are reversed in the Southern Hemisphere [1]. Plants respond to your local weather and day length, not to the calendar, so the strip is a guide to timing rather than a schedule.
The Venus flytrap exception
The planner treats the flytrap differently from the temperate pitcher plants. The ICPS guide states that flytraps do not need dormancy to survive long term indoors, that they need it only when they will face freezing temperatures outside, and that putting an indoor plant in the refrigerator is a waste [3]. The same author describes growing flytraps indoors under constant lights for years in the Carnivorous Plant Newsletter [14]. The guide also warns against switching plants between outdoors and indoor lights for the winter, because it puts them out of sync with the seasons [3]. Choose “Indoors under lights all year” to see that advice.
Plants that do need a rest, such as the cold temperate sundews, still need a seasonal cue under lights. The ICPS lighting page recommends a timer that changes the on and off times with the date and latitude so plants do not get stuck in one season [15].
Groups without a winter rest
The subtropical sundews, such as Drosera capensis, need no dormancy or light cues and do well from about 10 to 35 °C [9]. Heliamphora come from tepui summits where temperatures generally stay between 7 and 23 °C [13]. For the full background, see the dormancy guide; for outdoor overwintering in the ground, the bog garden guide.
Sources
- Meteorological Versus Astronomical Seasons. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information. Meteorological seasons as three-month groups (winter: December to February in the Northern Hemisphere); seasons reversed in the Southern Hemisphere. Accessed October 12, 2026.
- USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map. US Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. Look up your hardiness zone. Accessed October 12, 2026.
- Growing Dionaea muscipula. International Carnivorous Plant Society. TDS under 90 ppm; dormancy only for plants facing freezing weather outdoors; LED wattage and lux; USDA-zone advice; soil choices. Accessed October 12, 2026.
- Growing Sarracenia. International Carnivorous Plant Society. Hardiness by USDA zone; winter storage; 1:1 peat:sand mix; perlite outdoors; S. psittacina in pure peat. Accessed October 12, 2026.
- Growing Darlingtonia californica. International Carnivorous Plant Society. Cool roots below 27 °C; frozen solid only when fully dormant; 60% peat : 40% sand. Accessed October 12, 2026.
- Growing cold temperate Drosera. International Carnivorous Plant Society. Hibernacula and a definite winter; 50:50 peat:sand. Accessed October 12, 2026.
- Growing Drosera binata. International Carnivorous Plant Society. All forms go dormant; protect from freezing soil; 1:1 or 1:2 peat:sand. Accessed October 12, 2026.
- Growing Drosera regia. International Carnivorous Plant Society. Loose winter hibernacula; protection in zone 8 and colder; peat with 50% sand or perlite. Accessed October 12, 2026.
- Growing subtropical Drosera. International Carnivorous Plant Society. No dormancy needed; 10 to 35 °C; mixes from 30% to 100% peat. Accessed October 12, 2026.
- Growing Mexican Pinguicula. International Carnivorous Plant Society. Succulent winter leaves; cooler and drier in winter; equal peat, coarse sand and perlite. Accessed October 12, 2026.
- Growing cold temperate Pinguicula. International Carnivorous Plant Society. Winter buds in autumn; need cold winters; 2 peat : 1 sand : 1 perlite : 1 vermiculite. Accessed October 12, 2026.
- Growing warm temperate Pinguicula. International Carnivorous Plant Society. Protect from freezing weather; 3 peat : 1 sand : 1 perlite. Accessed October 12, 2026.
- Growing Heliamphora. International Carnivorous Plant Society. Tepui temperatures 7 to 23 °C; equal sphagnum, perlite and aquatic planting medium. Accessed October 12, 2026.
- Grow Venus flytraps indoors (Carnivorous Plant Newsletter 48(4):178–182). International Carnivorous Plant Society. Indoor flytraps under lights without winter dormancy. Accessed October 12, 2026.
- LED Plant Lighting. International Carnivorous Plant Society. Light requirement by genus; lux, lumens and watts per square foot; 12 to 16 hours a day. Accessed October 12, 2026.