Archive for the 'Brugmansia' Category

A Touch of Spring in September

Spring may be just a memory in mid-September, but a few of our flowering plants are bringing back a touch of spring in our yard. Our roses bloom sporadically throughout the summer, but never as dramatically as they do in April and May. We have about 2 dozen rose plants in our yard, but the rose that has been a stand out this summer is our Surprise floribunda rose. Although the plant itself is not very attractive, it has produced clusters of stunning flowers at intervals separated by a few weeks from late April until now. Here is picture of it that I took today.

Another flowering plant in our yard that is looking particularly attractive right now is our princess flower. After nearly dying to the ground in late December after nighttime freezes, it has grown so vigorously that it is now a large bush covered with violet flowers. See picture below. The cold weather wasn’t severe enough to freeze the root system. If that were to happen, I am pretty sure it would have killed the plant.

Brugmansia is another frost sensitive plant that we have in our backyard. It died to the ground last December during the same bout of freezing weather. It has also grown back vigorously since the spring. It is now over 6 feet tall and full of flowers again. It’s a Charles Grimaldi Brugmansia.

September 19 2010 | Brugmansia and Princess Flower and Roses | Comments Off on A Touch of Spring in September

Brugmansia is Back

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A few years ago, we had a large Charles Grimaldi brugmansia growing in our yard. Every few months, it was full of hundreds of fragrant yellow flowers. Then, in January 2007, we had a hard freeze. The temperature fell into the 20s F for several nights, and our brugmansia died to the ground. Here’s what it used to look like: 7/14/08 Brugmansia post.

Some of the roots survived, but it didn’t grow back right away. Several months later, the roots started to generate a few new shoots. After surviving yet another freezing night in the 20s last January, those shoots have now grown to about four feet tall and are blooming for the first time. It’s great to have it back again. When the sun goes down, we open our kitchen window, and we can smell the flowers inside our house. The flowers have a very unique tropical fragrance. This time I won’t let it grow too large, so that it will be easier to cover during freezing weather.

June 21 2009 | Brugmansia | Comments Off on Brugmansia is Back

Peaches and Cream Brugmansia

This is a picture of a peaches and cream brugmansia we are growing.  I planted it about 3 years ago.   It grew well for about a year and half, and it bloomed spectacularly on at least one occasion.  

In January 2007, it froze to the ground during cold weather.  Since then, it has slowly been making a come back.  A few days ago, it started blooming for the first time since the freeze.

I really like this brugmansia, because of its peachy colored flowers and variegated leaves.  It does not grow as fast or bloom as much as the Charles Grimaldi brugmansia.  Even so, it makes an attractive small shrub.

I put copper tape around the base of the trunk to keep the snails from eating the leaves.  Without some form of snail control, snails eat many holes in the leaves, making the plant look unattractive.

I water this brugmansia regularly.  I have it growing in a spot that only receives filtered sunlight in the afternoon and mostly shade in the morning.  Although many sources say to plant brugmansia in full sun, my experience has been that brugmansia wilts frequently in full sun on hot summer days.  I tend to think a shady or partly sunny spot is more ideal for brugmansia.

August 31 2008 | Brugmansia | Comments Off on Peaches and Cream Brugmansia

Charles Grimaldi Brugmansia


These are pictures of a Charles Grimaldi brugmansia that I used to have growing in the yard.  It reached its peak about two years ago.  I watered it frequently in the beginning.  It grew amazingly fast from about 3 feet tall to the size of a small tree (about 10 feet tall) in just 4 years.  It was overloaded with large yellow trumpet-shaped flowers 3-4 times a year.  The flowers were extremely fragrant.   Their perfume-like fragrance could be smelled from inside the house on summer evenings when we had the windows open.  It was the centerpiece of the yard. 

One of main problems I had with brugmansias is keeping snails off of them.  The snails love eating the leaves.  Putting copper tape around the trunk helps keep them at bay.  Another problem was the flowers tended to droop on warm summer afternoons when the plant was in full sun, even after a watering.  The brugmansias that I planted in afternoon shade tended to hold their shape better.  Also, Charles Grimaldi needs a lot of pruning to maintain an attractive shape, because it grows so fast.

During the freeze of January 2007, the temperature here dropped into the mid 20s, and my brugmansia froze to the ground.  Only a few outshoots returned after that.

 

 

July 14 2008 | Brugmansia | Comments Off on Charles Grimaldi Brugmansia