Angels Trumpet / Brugmansia

[joz]

I ventured into ornamentals last weekend at the spring garden show. Now I've got a wee Brug in a pot on my porch. Slightly shaded but mostly sunny from 1m on, in some organic pre-fertilized potting soil (orange bag... Can't remember the name).

I watered well on planting on Sunday. It was still dampish until Wednesday, and again after Thursday's storm (in which it got a bit ruffled). Today it is sad and wilty, despite still being damp from yesterday's deluge. The alyssum seeds I scattered across the rest of the pot surface are coming up nicely, so I don't think it was too dry Wednesday... Tho it was perky until today.

It's early to panic, but I'm not an ornamentals person, and don't know what to do. Normally I'd let it dry out and maybe a bit of fish emulsion...? I've heard these are pretty thirsty plants tho, and I don't know the status of the pre-fed potting mix.

Is anyone familiar with their quirks and can help me out a bit? Thanks...

 

[joz]

Erm... Nevermind. It seems to have perked back up.

Are these particularly temperamental beasties?

 

[lesa]

Yup, I am not surprised! They are glorious plants and hard to hurt! I can't leave mine in the ground for the winter... so, I dig them up (not very carefully) and bring them inside. They drop all their leaves, look entirely dead- and then they start putting out new leaves! Looking forward to hardening mine off, and getting it back out in the garden. You will love having this plant. Were you able to smell a blossom at the garden show? Heavenly! Enjoy...

 

[thistlebloom]

Glad it perked up for you Joz. I've never had a brugmansia, but it seems like they grow fast, one of the nurseries here planted a huge container with one as the centerpiece and by the end of the season it was enormous. They're very dramatic looking. Is yours one of the very fragrant ones?

 

[joz]

It's supposed to be fragrant. It's a yellow-to-peachy/orange, which are supposed to be the smelliest.
I've seen them all over town, some huge trees. Haven't ever smelled one, that I'm aware.

My favorite scented plants are citrus and osmanthus/sweet olive. I dunno how many sweet olives I've killed so far. I'm really not good with containers.

 

[Nyboy]

If you have pets becarefull they are very toxic.

 

[catjac1975]

I brought mine in for years. The white fly and mealybugs were hard to control so I eventually composted it. They are so aromatic and beautiful. If you can keep your outdoors they are an extraordinary landscape plant. The grow huge in Florida.

 

[seedcrazy]

I find it a lot easier just to do stalk cuttings in late fall (can't stay out over winter here), I had sand in a pot with water they have lived in all winter (I have a problem with spider mites on them every single year though) so I have kept them in that water (roots galore) in my south facing kitchen window and I'm still fighting spider mites (2 months without and boom they came back). Good idea on the Caution to not let kids, pets or you handle the blooms and then be touching your eyes, mouth, face, etc.

 

[seedcrazy]

BTW, I have not potted them up (too early to plant out in the ground which is where they will go) but it makes it easy to yank them from the sand/water and blast the spider mites off with the kitchen faucet. LOL Forgot to say that.

 

[joz]

It's gonna live in its pot on the front porch. I don't know if the pot is big enough, but it's gonna have to get pruned to fit on the porch so maybe a smaller pot isn't a bad idea. I shouldn't have to bring it inside... we've not even had frost for the last 2 winters, nevermind a freeze here on the south shore of Lake Pontchartrain.

I'm quite aware of their toxicity. I became familiar with them while doing the cover illustration for Tulane University's annual Anthropology Journal, featuring an article by an ethno-botanist.

Not looking forward to spider mites (they're the bane of my container tomatoes in years past), but I don't have many issues spraying this down with poison. I'm not planning on eating it, after all.