How to Grow Cobra Lily With a Drip System

Home flower gardens feature a range of garden annuals and perennials for lush foliage and bright flowering. Gardeners who want something a little different, though, try carnivorous plants like the cobra lily, or Darlingtonia californica. These plants grow naturally in the forests of southern Oregon and northern California, and lure insects into their open mouths as food. They grow to 2 to 4 feet in height and feature bulbous hoodlike formations on top. These plants grow best in boggy and marshy conditions. Recreate their natural environment with the right foundation and a drip system.

Pots
Peat moss
Sphagnum moss
Perlite
Spray bottle

Instructions

- 1
  Plant cobra lilies in 5-gallon pots with drainage holes to give them a protected foundation. Put the pots in sites with bright indirect sunlight or filtered sunlight, near the lines of the drip system. These woodland plants need light for grow but grow naturally under forest canopy. They burn and dry in full sunlight.
- 2
  Mix potting soil with 1 part sphagnum moss, 1 part peat moss and 1 part perlite. Cobra lilies need mossy, boggy conditions around their roots. Fill the pots with the mixture.
- 3
  Plant cobra lilies one-per-pot to give them room to grow and spread. The plants self-propagate at the roots like standard lilies, and expand to large patches over time.
- 4
  Place the tubes of the drip system over the pots so that each pot has a consistent source of water. Turn the drip system to 3 to 4 inches of water every day to give the cobra lilies the constant watering they require. Don't attempt to correct any standing water around the plants; cobra lilies need water running over their roots at all times.
- 5
  Spray the plants with water once a week to maintain humidity around the foliage.

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