Frogs and snails and puppy dogs tails
Prickly, spiky, smelly and gory plants often grab a kid's imagination when they are young and can give them an interest in plants that stays with them. At the risk of being sexist it is mainly boys who seem to find cacti and other succulents worthy of attention.

Perhaps it is wise to guide your offspring's choice of cacti so that you can adopt it if their passion wanes. Larger cacti look good in pots put outside during the summer months as an architectural focal point . Be aware though that some cacti have finer secondary bristles which like the stings of a nettle get embedded in the skin and can be very irritating. Prickly Pears [Opuntia] are fun, most originate from Mexico and SW USA but many of us are more familiar with them from Mediterranean holidays. The big fat spiky paddles can grow to tree like proportions under optimum conditions [watch out for snails on the new growth!]. Others to consider include Cereus which form tall columns and dramatic South African Euphorbia, not at all like our herbaceous types.

Something less ambitious are Sempervivums, easy and generally robust. One of the largest I have seen is 'Commander Hay' with reddish blades making a rosette at least 6ins across; there are many others to choose from in a range of sizes and colours. They produce 'babies' which should be potted up and then the 'parent' flowers and dies which the Sempervivum in the picture is now doing - a bit sad really.

Insect eating plants are gruesomely fascinating for kids; the familiar Venus Fly Trap has trigger hairs on the inside of the traps which are set-off by an insect bumping into them. The traps can also be gently triggered with a pen tip. Don't feed them on mince or raw meat though, they don't like heavy meals preferring a diet of light crunchy flies.

Sarracenias or Pitcher Plants come from North American peat bogs and quite a number happily overwinter outside. In spring they have unusual stinky flowers that smell of cat pee so be warned! During the summer insects are attracted to the trumpets which have nectar at the top and hairs that face downwards into the trumpets, as the insect gets drawn in it slips and plummets into the digestive juices contained in the bottom of the trumpet. My Sarracenia is in a pot which is suspended in a small fish pond in summer, the bottom of the plant just slightly in the water. Sarracenias can also be kept in pots within containers that hold water, preferably from water butts [e.g. rain water], and they should not be allowed to dry out. My plant remains evergreen through the winter and old trumpets are cut out as the new ones emerge in late spring.

Less obviously gory are Sundews [Drosera], a number of which are native to bogs in the UK. Insects get trapped on the sticky globs that cover the leaves and if the meal is big enough the leaf starts to curl around its victim for some prolonged digestion. There are stunning and much larger tender species available such as D.capensis and D.regia both from South Africa, they will need to be brought inside in the autumn.

Some Arums are spookily fascinating; the big daddy is Dracunculus vulgaris or the 'Dragon Arum' from the Mediterranean. Huge leaves are followed by a fantastic velvety deepest purple tube with a rude protruding spathe accompanied by the stink of rotting carrion - very satisfying to grow, but not too close to the house!

If you are interested in insectivorous plants The Little Shop of Horrors has a website packed with pictures and information http://www.littleshopofhorrors.co.uk.

My monthly gardening column from The Bath Magazine - Bath's best local magazine for events, listings, news and views. Whether you live in and around Bath or are visiting us, it's a great source of local information.

Links:
Little Shop of Horrors - all things insect eating!
Fernwood Nursery - Sempervivum
The Mead Nursery near Westbury - have a selection of Sempervivum