Tropicals & Tender Perennials: "floppy skin", 0 by Kell

Kell wrote:
I really do not have experience with such severe damage. Usually mine can get frost bite on the top but never below the Y. One year, many years ago before I even knew the name brugmansia, I had 2 die to the ground in a frost. One did come back but it was late June at least before I saw the green coming back up and one never did.

The trouble with these are they are a perfect place for bad fungus to flourish. It would be one thing if we still had the cold weather but we now are getting much higher temperatures and the rotting plant material is perfect for bad things to grow in them.

KathyAnn, I am surprised you get any to come back in your zone. Which ones have you found come back for you? That is just great.

Oh Joan, it is quite a sight. It goes all the way around a 4 by 4 post on my back porch. So it goes 360 degrees around. It is about 7 feet long by now for it hits the top and there are fronds almost to the floor now. I still remember the day I bought it all those years ago. I had seen it at a nursery and it was a good size. It cost $50 which to me was a huge amount of money then. I went home and got my husband and begged to get it. He came back with me to see it. He said I could have it. (Boy have things changed, LOL) I was so thrilled. I have never remounted it or anything. We hung the board it was mounted on, on a nail in the 4 by 4. But over time it grew around the post. The only thing I have ever done to it, is toss a few bananas in the top a couple times a year.

If you look above at my picture of the Distictis 'Rivers' vine, you can see part of the staghorn in the background on the left side.

This is an old picture. I really should take a new one and try to get the whole plant in it. I just love this plant.