Growing Brugmansias in Albuquerque?
 

People visiting in tropical climates are frequently in awe of the large shrubs or small trees with magnificent pendant blooms hanging by the hundreds from the branches. The flowers may be yellow, pink or white, and some are very fragrant especially in the evening.

 These are tender perennials that seem beyond the possibility of being grown in zone 7 such as here in Albuquerque. Many legends have been developed about them among which is the story that sleeping under such a "tree" would be fatal. They at one time were included in the same family as the Daturas such as the notorious jimson weed and they are just as deadly if one were to ingest any part of them. Most of the species originated in South America although the Daturas are found in North America in the southwest.

The flowers may be as much as twenty inches long from stem to trumpet tip. Being a member of the solanum family  many of the Brugmansias can be rooted easily from cuttings as they have root primordia all along the surface of the stems. Those roots will show up as small bumps along the stem. I have had very good luck growing large plants from cuttings taken at almost any time of the year that is warm enough and I am currently experimenting to find out what the maximum size may be. So far I have rooted cuttings that are as much as 24 inches long.

To learn more about them there is a new web site put up by the American Brugmansia and Datura Society (ABAD) that can be found  Click here: Brugmansia cuttings. There is much additional information available on that site that you may be interested in. Have fun.

Recently, while browsing the Internet I had the good fortune to happen on the website for Plant Delights and found that they have a number of new Brugmansias. I ordered three of them and they arrived in good condition and are now  growing on my patio table. I am looking foreward to seeing how well they grow and bloom.

02/01/2009

[ Home ] [ Up ]