Brugmansias

[xeriscape8321]

I have often spoken of my brugmansias and how i am trying to create a garden where a symbiotic relationship exists between my bananas and by brugmansias. Here are a few brugmansias that are blooming today that are benefiting from a couple of my older larger bananas. The shade provided by the banana leaves is essential for some brugmansias than cannot take the south florida sun in august, whereas the bananas thrive in the full sun....this can (if carefully planned) maximize a relatively small garden area where i can grow both species and everybody benefits....I love brugmansias, a passion for over 14 years..bananas are my new passion





This one has achieved a height where its good on its own

[siege2050]

This is my first year growing Brugs, I started with Charles Grimaldi, Betty Marshall, and Cherub. Those are supposed to be root hardy here with Grimaldi being the most hardy ( I have seen Grimaldi survive zone 6 and grow to about 6 feet by fall), but I am starting to understand that they are not going to be very large come fall this way even though they grow pretty fast compared to other plants, so I am growing some cuttings in the green house in very large pots, I am hoping the trunks can handle cold temps pretty well, and turn into a potted tree that I will put out in the yard each year, keeping trimmed to about 10 feet. Brugs are super easy to propagate, thats for sure, I stuck a few pieces that i cut off into the pot and they rooted in a very short period of time. I have discovered they will take full sun here in the 90's, but if pot bound even a little that very quickly changes. They will also take full strength Fertilizer every other day with no negative effects.

[xeriscape8321]

Those are great choices when starting out with brugmansias siege2050. Every one of those brugmansias are easy to grow and very generous with their blooms. They are not hardy in zone 7, you will either have to dig up the root systems and put them dormant in a pot for the winter (in a garage or basement where they will not freeze)...water lightly once a month...light is not even needed...in the spring (after last frost) bring them outside and they will sprout from dormant roots.
If roots are left in the ground over the winter, unless very heavily mulched (really heavily mulched) they will most likely not come back from the original root system.

[Kat2]

Those little trumpet flowers are very beautiful. I have none and expect to acquire none but I sure like the pictures people who grow them post. (Someone on my street has one--how hard are they to propagate?)

[siege2050]

In my experience they are super easy to propagate. I have heard of plants that you can just take a cutting from and stick it in the soil with no extra care beside a bit of water, and they root. Brugmansia is one of these plants. Old wood, new wood, it doesn't matter. I have rooted them in a glass of water, and soil. I cut off part of a thick old wood trunk, stuck it back in the pot, and it rooted and sprouted new leaves. Some are a little more difficult than others I have read, but If you can get a cutting from the one on your street, you will most likely have the start of your own collection very soon.

[siege2050]

My 3 others are from this year, and I have already got cuttings from them because they grow very fast, but I do have an older Jamaica Yellow that I bought as a large plant this spring locally that is about 7 feet that is starting to bloom again, but I am not too fond of it, it smells very nice, but the flowers shred a lot.