Projo Garden Blog

Brugmansia, commonly know as angel's trumpet comes in many colors, but I have mostly seen it in white or yellow. I have always admired it from afar but never had a chance to purchase one. A few years ago I had some Datura, known as moon flower and devil's flower, which belongs in the same family (Solanaceae), but in a different genus.

Datura

Joyce and John of the Good Earth Organic Garden Center in Hope, R.I. gave me a Brugmansia plant, grown in a container, around mid-September. It was placed near my front steps. I only had a chance to see a few of them in bloom and missed most of its blooming because I had to be away from home. Fortunately, I had experienced a whiff of its beautiful scent a few times in the evening. Brugmansia requires considerably more watering than most other flowering plants. By the time I returned, the flowers were all gone and the plant looked spent and gone. The leaves turned yellow and many had fallen off.

To my surprise, there was a sign of revival after it was given water and nutrients. I noticed a growth of new leaves and decided to transfer it into a new container with organic planting soil. I moved the plant indoors when the nights got colder and took it outside on most hot sunny days. It survived a week without watering while I was away again a few weeks ago. I was delighted to find 5 flower buds after my return. I patiently watched them grow.

The indoor cooler temperature allows the blooming process to unfold slowly. I observed with fascination how the petals unfurled.

The transformation of colors from light yellow to darker yellow then to peach was intriguing. The color appeared darker at night. I inhale the heavenly scent of these beautiful flowers every evening.

There are 3 more flowers yet to bloom. More tiny leaves are coming out. I hope it will stay alive during the winter months. I will look forward to putting it in the ground next year, perhaps in late spring.

Brugmansia, like Datura, is known to be highly toxic due to the presence of atropine and scopolamine.

I would prefer to think of Brugmansia as something with much more positive, symbolic significance as "trumpets of angels" used to announce and carry good tidings.

Comments

Joanne said:

That is just beautifully done. I love that you were able to record (both pictorially and verbally) the various stages of the blooms! Well written!

Link | November 13, 2008 12:21 PM
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penny said:

Just beautiful! Even more interesting because I got to see the blooms before they opened and they looked so sad. Nature is truly marvelous! With a few days of sun, the right plant food and environment - you were able to save this lovely plant to blossom again next year.

Link | November 13, 2008 2:54 PM
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joyce said:

Beautiful!

The Angel's trumpet looked delicate but at the same time hardy.

Link | November 15, 2008 5:46 PM
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Tonny Surrow said:

It is great to meet another Brugmansia grower. Hi!

Yes, Ain't they just great. I have grown them for 2/3 of my life and still is very much in love with them. You photos looks great. I think that those of the Angel's Trumpet shows the cultivar 'Charles Grimaldi'.

I am not sure about the Datura, because even though that each seedline has a fixed name one specific line of cultivar get a different name by the seedsmen. I like Datura too. I just got some seeds from a nice lady in Virginia. I can't wait to see the flowers and smell them again. They smell so fresh :)

Kind regards

Tonny Surrow-Hansen

Link | February 6, 2009 4:36 PM
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