The best carnivorous plants, compared.
Top pick: Gift Republic GR200010 – Highest score at 63: 3.5 from 469 reviews at about £12.99, the strongest star line among these three seed kits. Best value: Seed Pantry seed kit – Best value on a different product: about £15.00, with two pots and peat-free compost named. The value part is 8, above the tin and not the top pick. Updated 21.10.2026.
Carnivorous plants sold to UK shoppers are bog or tropical plants that need mineral-free water and a low-nutrient mix, not ordinary houseplant compost. It names two rice-husk pots, peat-free compost and a cooler spot in winter, and the listing has no review line. Rainwater, strong light and a winter rest still decide whether a flytrap or a American pitcher lasts. A closed [terrarium](/hub/houseplants/terrarium) is a different purchase: those plants want air and sun, not a sealed jar. The usual houseplant sundew is sundew, and the UK also has native sundews. Sarracenia are American pitchers and, in specialist practice, outdoor UK plants with a winter rest. Nepenthes are tropical pitchers for a frost-free room. The three products are seed kits aimed at a flytrap, a sundew or a trumpet pitcher.
Carnivorous plants sold to UK shoppers are bog or tropical plants that need mineral-free water and a low-nutrient mix, not ordinary houseplant compost.
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Personal buying guide
Question 1 of 2
What do you want to open?
The Gift Republic GR200010 is a boxed grow-your-own kit at about £12.99, and the amazon.co.uk line is 3.5 out of 5 from 469 reviews. The plant-type field says venus fly, while the bullets do not name a species, pots or compost, so the page is thinner than a kit you can actually sow from. UK reviewers who followed the instructions often describe several weeks in the fridge, then one to three seeds, mould, and no germination. A smaller group call it a fair unopened gift or say something did grow, which is why this star line sits above the tin and still well short of a reliable plant. The sunlight field says shadow, and the 12.6 x 9.7 x 16.7 cm size matches the carton rather than a grown flytrap. Reviews also mention missing coconut husks, a need to buy pots, and the wrong Grow It box arriving. In this set it is the top pick only as the least poorly documented kit, and a weak substitute for a rooted plant at a similar price.
Pros
Cons
Best for: You want a boxed seed project at about £13 and you will treat germination as uncertain.
Less suitable: You need traps this month, or a listing that states pots and the species in the bullets.
Specifications
Common questions
Does the listing say which plants are in the kit?
The plant-type field says venus fly. The bullets do not name the species. The size line is 12.6 x 9.7 x 16.7 cm, which matches the carton.
What do the reviews repeat about growing it?
A fridge step of several weeks, then no germination, is the common report. Packets often held one to three seeds. A minority say something grew or that the kit was a fair gift.
Are pots included?
The listing does not say. One review says you still need to buy pots. Coconut husks were missing in another review.
The Funtime Gifts tin, model EG7100, is listed at about £6.99 with 2.9 out of 5 from 721 amazon.co.uk reviews. The bullets say each tin includes both Venus flytrap and sundew seed and that you just add water and sun. UK reviews instead describe a fridge step of about two to three weeks and a sachet of one or two specks buried in the compost. Many buyers report nothing after weeks or months, and others say the seedling was a cactus, grass, a herb, or a thin stem with a red flower rather than a flytrap. The tin measures 6.5 x 9 x 6.5 cm and weighs about 90 g, and reviewers say it cannot drain, so water sits. A sundew packet is sometimes missing against the picture. The low price is real, and it does not buy the plant on the label often enough to treat this as a beginner flytrap.
Pros
Cons
Best for: You want a small gift tin and you already accept that the compost may stay empty.
Less suitable: You want a Venus flytrap, a container that drains, or growth a child can see this month.
Specifications
Common questions
What seed does the tin claim to include?
The bullets say each tin includes both sundew and Venus flytrap seeds, and that you just add water and sun.
What do the reviews repeat?
Nothing grew for many buyers. Seeds were a few specks in a sachet in the compost. Some seedlings were not a flytrap. The tin is often called cute and unable to drain.
Does the listing say it is for indoors?
Indoors is only a question on the page. There is no answer in the bullets. The sunlight field says partial sun.
The Seed Pantry kit is listed at about £15.00 with two biodegradable rice-husk pots, organic peat-free compost and a grow guide. The bullet says Venus flytrap or trumpet pitcher seed, so you are not promised both, and the listing has no customer-review line to show which packet arrives or whether it sprouts. The care line is the only one in this set that says full sun at a south-facing window and a cooler place in winter dormancy. Four pieces are stated. The expected-height field prints 75 cm, which is a catalogue line rather than a plant this kit has grown, and weight and dimensions are absent. It is the best value here only because those stated pots and that compost are the extras the other two listings leave you to buy, not because anyone has reported a seedling. At about £15 it still costs about the same as a small rooted flytrap, with none of the review evidence the cheaper rows have.
Pros
Cons
Best for: You want the only kit here that states pots, peat-free compost and a winter note, and you will sow whichever seed arrives.
Less suitable: You need a named species, a review record, or a plant that already has traps.
Specifications
Common questions
Which species is in the packet?
The bullet says Venus flytrap or trumpet pitcher seed. The listing does not say you receive both.
What else is in the kit?
Two biodegradable rice-husk pots, organic peat-free compost, and a grow guide. The care line says full sun at a south-facing window and a cooler place in winter dormancy.
Are there reviews?
The amazon.co.uk listing has no customer-review line and no review text. An empty review line is not a good result.
Scores use the three amazon.co.uk seed kits kept in this comparison, the shelf prices and star lines on those pages, and the review notes for the same listings. Shelf date 20 October 2026. This is not a laboratory test and not a germination rate. Weights sum to 100. Stars are worth 40, the review sample 15, fit for a carnivorous seed start 30, and value in this set 15. No star line scores 0 on stars and on sample. The highest total is the top pick. The highest value part on a different product is best value. An empty review line is not treated as a good result.
Star rating
40%Amazon stars are scaled out of 5 and capped at 40. The Gift Republic box is 3.5, which is 28. The Funtime tin is 2.9, which is 23. The Seed Pantry kit has no star line, which is 0. A star average is not a germination rate.
Review sample
15%The sample band is capped at 15. 400 or more reviews score 15. No review line scores 0. Gift Republic has 469 reviews and Funtime has 721, so both take 15. Seed Pantry has no customer-review line, so it takes 0. A large sample of failed germination is still evidence.
Fit for a seed start
30%Fit is capped at 30. Seed Pantry scores 24 because peat-free compost, two pots, full sun and a winter line are stated, while the species line still does not name the plant. Funtime scores 14 because both Venus flytrap and sundew are named, the tin does not drain, and there is no winter line. Gift Republic scores 8 because the species sits only in a listing field, pots are not stated, and the sunlight field says shadow.
Value in this set
15%Value is capped at 15, and it is not a prize for the cheapest title. Gift Republic scores 12 at about £12.99 with the strongest star line, and that product is the top pick, so the value points are not awarded again. Seed Pantry scores 8 at about £15.00 because the bullets name pots and peat-free compost. Funtime scores 4 at about £6.99 next to the weakest review outcome. Best value is the Seed Pantry kit.
Check the form, the genus and the review line before the picture on the tin. These three rows are seed kits. A plant already in a pot is a different purchase.
Carnivorous plants sold in Britain are bog or tropical plants. They need mineral-free water and a low-nutrient mix. They are not a normal houseplant in multipurpose compost. Venus flytrap (Dionaea muscipula) is one temperate species with snap traps. Sundews (Drosera) catch insects on sticky leaves. The usual houseplant sundew is Cape sundew, and the UK also has native sundews. Sarracenia are North American pitchers and, in specialist practice, outdoor UK plants with a winter rest.
Gift buyers underestimate the fridge step and the chance of no seedling. Both reviewed kits show people waiting weeks and then missing the returns window. A tin that looks cute before it is opened is not a plant.
The Royal Horticultural Society says rainwater or distilled water, and a carnivorous mix. Multipurpose compost and fertiliser kill these plants. Boiled, cooled tap water is only a second choice, and minerals build up if you use it often.
Dionaea and Sarracenia need a cold dormancy. A black flytrap in January is often resting, not dead. Cape sundews and Nepenthes do not follow that calendar. The listing has to name which plant you actually bought.
You are comparing seed kits, not plants measured for this page. A seed tin is a project. A plant in a pot is a plant. If you need traps this month, leave the set. The Gift Republic box is a carton whose plant-type field says venus fly, while the bullets do not name the species, pots or compost. The Funtime tin names both Venus flytrap and sundew seed and tells you to add water and sun, which clashes with the fridge step reviewers find in the instructions.
The Royal Horticultural Society says rainwater or distilled water, and a low-nutrient carnivorous mix. Multipurpose compost and fertiliser kill them. Tap water as a habit leaves minerals behind. Boiled, cooled tap water is only a second choice. Flytraps and Sarracenia want direct sun. A north window is the wrong room. The Gift Republic sunlight field says shadow. Funtime says partial sun and has no winter line.
Three typical situations, each with a recommendation from this comparison.
You want a boxed project at about £13 and you will treat germination as uncertain. The Gift Republic GR200010 is the top pick: 3.5 from 469 reviews, the strongest star line here. The bullets still do not name pots or the species.
You want the only kit here that states pots, peat-free compost and a winter note, and you will sow whichever seed arrives. The Seed Pantry kit is best value at about £15.00. There is no review line to show a seedling.
You want the lowest shelf price and a small tin, and you already accept that the compost may stay empty. The Funtime tin is about £6.99 with 2.9 from 721 reviews. Reviewers say it does not drain.
The top pick is the Gift Republic GR200010 at about £12.99. It scores 63, the highest of these three seed kits, with 3.5 from 469 amazon.co.uk reviews. The plant-type field says venus fly, the bullets do not name pots or compost, and UK reviews often report a fridge step and then no germination. It is the top pick only as the least poorly documented kit in this set, and a weak substitute for a rooted plant at a similar price. Best value is a different product, the Seed Pantry kit at about £15.00, score 32. Its bullets name two rice-husk pots, peat-free compost and a cooler spot in winter, and the listing has no review line. An empty review line is not a good result. Skip the Gift Republic box if you need traps this month. Skip Seed Pantry if you need a named species or a review record.
Gift Republic GR200010
Highest score at 63: 3.5 from 469 reviews at about £12.99, the strongest star line among these three seed kits.
Seed Pantry seed kit
Best value on a different product: about £15.00, with two pots and peat-free compost named. The value part is 8, above the tin and not the top pick.
Editorial
Peter F. is the editor for DIY & tools at productscompared.co.uk. Comparisons in this category are checked against amazon.co.uk listings, review evidence and public UK sources.
Guides on what to look for, how to use a product, and common mistakes.
Public UK sources named below. amazon.co.uk prices, stars and review counts on these three listings are the figures used for this comparison. Page updated 21 October 2026.
This page contains affiliate links to amazon.co.uk (tag pcuk26-21). If you buy through them, we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Prices, stars and review counts are taken from those listings. We did not run a lab test.
