I left 2 in pots, took cuttings. It was just an experiment. One is putting back out!! I left 5 in the ground, they aren't showing any signs yet, go figure!!
This is great news, I will be putting my brug alley in the ground instead of pots.
potted brug survived winter
Just be sure to till the ground up first. They come back much better when the ground is well tilled and enriched. I am leaving all of mine in the ground this year save a very few. My main reason for not leaving them all in the ground year was very simple...I had a late start planting them in the ground last year. That and they were all very tiny sprigs when I planted them. Not to mention I was culling a lot of my named hybrids. This year though, this year I plan on just bringing one or two inside. I have had the Brugmansia in pots outside freeze as well and have them come back from a light freeze just as easily as those in the ground. I still find that those in the ground grow faster and taller though. At any rate, that is my prefered method of growing. Of course Monika's garden makes a strong argument for potted plants. I simply love what Monika has done with her hybrids and her yard....Now just wait and see. This time next year I will be bringing of the pots outside yet again. Simply confused.
tiG, that sounds like an experiment that went right. Glad you had good luck. I can't wait to see pictures of all you guys brug alleys.
Brugs came to my attention for the first time in winter of 2,000 when my son and his friend took us to visit his parent's place in the San Mateo area of northern Ca.[close to San Francisco]. the entire neighborhood is filled with brugs...each house has about 4 brug trees to a yard. it was cold 40 deg. F. and most were in bloom which their fragrance permeating the air. of course, i did not want my ignorance to show at the time, and didn't bother to ask what they were. over the past holidays, i saw them again in bloom and this time, it is confirmed to be brugmansia's.
when i joined DG forum last July, was the first time, i came to know what those mysterious bell shape and fragrant flowers. the point is... i guess they can and will survive the cold weather, basing from what i've seen. correct me if i am wrong, i personally don't have any knowledge in growing brugs.
for a long while, i have been lurking and drooling over how lovely everyone shows off their pride and joy. very recently a few closed friends were kind enough to share a few rooted cuttings here and there. so hopefully i will learn this year to grow brugs too. in the process of learning, i hope to take notes & share photos in the process too.
therein lies my problem, Eric. As much as i don't want to dig those 5 gallons holes, and bring them in over the winter, I won't have early blooms if I leave them in the ground. I might just leave them in my 'Kyle' bed, my new tropical bed, and do the brug alley with potted plants. In fact, I'm going to have two 'Kyle' beds this year, while my Harlequin glory bower grows to tree size. Then I'll have to find or make another bed for more brugs. Hubby doesn't know that I'm thinking of putting them in the ground, so he's still prepared to dig my holes for me :)
tiG..if your not sure they will live over there for you..just root some cuttings of each late in the summer and leave the stock plants out..
that's the plan for most. but I want the brug alley to be tall trees like Monikas. And I'd like them to bloom early as possible too. I'm thinking of doing the pots for the alley, that's only 8-10 trees and leaving the others in the ground. It sure would save room if I just have cuttings to winter over along with those 8 trees. Right now I have way too many inside. But it did get hubby to promise me a greenhouse. Now if I can just win the lottery!
I think its a pure impossibility for us to leave them all in the ground Tig. We simply all want to have a few early blooms each year and of course the added benefit of getting a few seedpods started early in the year. Just came back from the field and saw a few seedpods that were still dangling. Seedpods were completly frozen several times this year and were completly dry. Thinking of planting a few as I have no idea if the seeds can be frozen or not. I have always assumed they could not, but you know what happens when you assume. The only thing I am certain about is that there is always something new to learn about these Brugmansia as Monika and others have repeatedly shown us.
I lost several last year leaving them in the ground. The red clay holds water and when they didn't come up I dug down to find the problem. The roots were water logged and even though I tried moving them they never recovered. The ones I have in the ground now were all putting out this past week with the exception of the ones I placed in a raised bed to experiment and see if they survive better and grow faster in the raised bed.
Every brug I planted last year in my raised bed have emerged and even small cutting off brugs have survived winter and sprouted...this is just my opinion on brugs I have seen down here... there are lots of people that just neglect them summer and winter and they just seem to thrive...I have asked my neighbors do they water often (NO) and do you fertilize often (NO) and theirs just grow and grow and bloom and bloom!!!
I just wonder about these so called hard to grow plants and am really learning alot from my local neighbors...
Just my 2 cents!
imaseedpicker, Where exactly is it that you and your neighbors live. It sounds like I need to be there in a place where Brugs actually thrive on neglect.Sure would save on the pocketbook and my bad back if I could just throw them in the ground and forget about them and have lovely blooms.
Snow...I'm sorry I didn't say that I live in Alabama...I need to update my member page! LOL
Forgot to say...I loved your swirl datura in the contest!
This message was edited Friday, Mar 22nd 10:40 PM
Thanks. I just wish it had produced some seeds. :(
Rebecca, I planted some in the ground last year, and they took a lot of water. I've seen one in GA (only one so far) and it grew as a bush. Pretty, but not the tree I want.
I sure can appreciate the hard work you guys go through to keep your brugs all winter. I am so lucky to be able to keep mine in the ground and just have to cover the small ones in case I get a frost.
Pete
Irish you are too lucky.
Tig, sounds like you need to use your seedlings to pick your pots...some of brugman's hybrids i have were very good at going straight up about 4 feet or taller before branching.
Brugman, a trading friend of mine in gainesville used frost paper on a 10 foot brug and a couple of smaller ones, had minimal LEAF damage, nothing else. Also i found some seed pods last week, one splitting open. the seeds look nice and mature, and i immediately planted that pod, am sending the rest to someone else. i peeled a few to look they seem to have well formed seeds in them. after reading what eclipse said about seed pods maturing while dormant, i think they will be okay.
Imaseedpicker, good comment. I think what we have to all take into consideration is individual differences in climate and soil. We have pure sand here and an very short winter most winters. Did you till your clay first? If I plant directly in the ground but don't till my plants hardly grow at all. I have grown my Brugs in gallon milk jugs filled with water and not had any root rot. I have placed Brugs with damaged roots in milk jugs though and these did get root rot. Still, I think more experimentation needs to be done.
Good to see you in here again Arlene, I was beginning to miss you. I found a few pieces of Brugmansia that have rooted laying about the yard from our last get together no doubt. They made it through the freeze simply laying a few inches above the ground and set out roots. Some Brugmansia just don't know when to die.
that's one reason i love them so, brugman, i love plants that love to live. DH just brought up building me a greenhouse, seems he has plans, here's hoping. remember that frostpaper though, and let me know how your seeds do.
Brugmansia... I reckon I did jump the gun and realize some do have more harsh conditions than I do here in Al ...Sorry!
I didn't plant my brugs in clay...My DH made me a raised bed and went to the woods and dug some black dirt from under pines for the bed.
I am planning on making more this year because our soil is mostly clay, sand and rocks since we live on the backwaters.
ttyl
I'd be willing to trade you a truckload of sand for a truckload of clay. Of course that black dirt sounds great as well. I have pure white sand here. The good stuff as they say. And as for jumping the gun Imaseedpicker, I have repeatedly realized after I have posted that I was not as clear as I should have or did not put enough pertinent information thanks to others asking the questions they did. You guys are all aces in my book. All any of us are trying to do is to understand each other and sometimes its hardest of all to understand ourselves. Heck, I know I can't even read my own writing much less understand it. In short, I confuse myself.
wish I had some of that black dirt too!!!
I'll trade some horse manure for some of that sand.....
CC bet you can get a brug to grow in pure horse manure. I did it with tomatoes.
Pete
I use mushroom compost, which is composted horse manure that's been used to grow mushrooms in. They toss it after each crop and sell it to the public. I planted several things straight into it last year and boy did they grow!!