Nepenthes pitcher plants at Carnivero nursery in Austin, Texas

Visiting Drew Martinez and Carnivero in Austin

September 10, 2025

In May 2025, Alice, Luca, and I made the trip down to Austin, Texas, to visit my longtime friend Drew Martinez. Drew and I go back many years. We first connected when he lived in the Bay Area, and he's passed through Colorado several times since. This trip felt like picking up an old friendship right where we left it, and getting a look at the world Drew has built since, full of thousands of carnivorous plants.

The Road

The Road to Austin

This was our first big road trip since Luca was born four months earlier. Traveling with an infant changes the pace, but it made the trip more memorable. We left Colorado Springs late in the afternoon and pushed through until about midnight, finally rolling into Amarillo, Texas. The next morning we got an early start, since Austin was still about eight hours away. By May 7 we were pulling into the city, ready to catch up with Drew.

Old Friends

Adventures With Drew

Drew Martinez and Jeremiah Harris with wild Sarracenia leucophylla in 2018

Drew and me in 2018 with wild S. leucophylla

Drew and I have shared a lot of adventures over the years, from searching for wild Sarracenia and sleeping on my sister's couch in the Deep South to traveling to Cairns, Australia, for the 2014 ICPS conference. We're competitors in the nursery world in some ways, but we've also worked together on some exciting projects. One of the most recent is a cross I'm really excited about: Nepenthes naga "Paul B." x villosa. Working together on plants like this feels less like a rivalry and more like two people who love the same thing pushing the hobby forward.

Carnivero

Inside Carnivero

Inside Carnivero's main greenhouse

Drew owns Carnivero, one of the largest carnivorous plant nurseries in the United States. His greenhouses are huge, with row after row of well grown plants. Carnivero is also one of the few carnivorous plant nurseries in the country that's open for retail visits, which is rare in this world. The operation includes a dedicated highland grow chamber and a top notch tissue culture lab.

It's not just the size that impresses me, it's the care and precision Drew puts into all of it. Tissue culture takes real horticultural skill, lab grade equipment, and a lot of patience.

The Meetup

The Texas Carnivorous Plant Meetup

Nepenthes veitchii

The main reason for the trip was the Texas Carnivorous Plant Meetup on May 10. We got in a few days early and spent time with Drew and his family before the event. Being there with Drew, who has put so much of his life into growing these plants and building this community, was a reminder of how a passion can grow into something bigger than you ever imagined.

Reflections

Where the Past and Present Meet

Visiting Drew in Austin was more than a reunion. It was a chance to see how a friendship that started years ago in the Bay Area has carried through family milestones, long road trips, and a lot of plants. Carnivero is proof of what Drew's vision and persistence can build. The best trips are the ones where friends, family, and plants all end up in the same place.

Want to grow your own Nepenthes? Here's how I'd set up a grow chamber.