I Went Cruising......

through this forum this evening. I've been a bit reticent to go here for fear of an addiction that I don't have room/time for. I was right; could be a major jones. What outstanding things everyone has done with hybridizing this plant! We have a native (or I assume it's native since it grows in a protected natural canyon here) datura that always takes my breath away in the moonlight. I still have much research to do to find if I can actually grow these here, but am ready to level the rest of the flora and grow nothing else, and the property doesn't belong to me! But they've never complained about the things I've done and I've had a ball tweaking their landscaping and the most recent weekly gardener loves most of it and treats it kindly. Anyone with knowledge of growing Brugmansia in Southern California, please feel free to advise. Anyway, as I was perusing I looked over my shoulder and this is what was there. Through the window next to my PC. Getting lost in the beauty of the Brugs and then seeing this - could life be better?

Amazing!Come on you have to try at least one Datura in a pot,LMK,I'll send seeds,sure we could look around and find you a Brug somewhere,you stuck your nose in,may as well get your toe wet while you are here. :)

Sheesh, you're quick root! I just emailed my niece Megan and asked if she'd be interested in sharing a place in Big Sur with me, where she could do orchids and I could do Brugs. My biggest worry here are the Santa Ana Winds. You know about those? They're basically 70mph and 90+ degrees in mid-winter. Not healthy for plants that hate wind. One experience like that could dampen both my enthusiasm and the brug's, I fear. But I'm game, sure. Seeds? You bet! I'll do seeds. Anything you may need from So Cal? Think tropical, think desert. I can probably come up with a trade.

Stellapathic,I have an alarm on my computer,you know,like the one that says You have Mail,only mine goes off every time you post one of your sunsets,LOL,Love em!

What a beautiful view you have. Awesome picture.

You can absolutely grow Brugs in Laguna Beach! I'm in Poway, which is in San Diego County, and there are Brugs here. I've just started, but they could get very addicting. Since you're nearer the coast you could even do the Sanguineas that don't tolerate the heat. As for the Santa Anna's - you'll just water more during them. They didn't bother my double white at all.

If the landlord complains, play dumb. LOL You don't know where they came from..... a bird must have dropped some seed there. ;-)

Mary

Stunning picture - absolutely beautiful

Rootdoctor, you make me laugh. You may have noticed I haven't posted a sunset or other beach pics on here for a while. Thought it would be entirely too taunting for those who have had endure this brutal winter. You know, it's not nice to say "naa naa naa naa naa, I live in paradise and you're going through hell." Couldn't help myself tonight though. Nothing but royal blue and magenta out there for a minute.

Thanks snowhermit & Liz, I never get tired of the view and love my digital camera, so it's hard to go wrong.

mpabbott1, that's encouraging! Poway is much drier and hotter than here. Do you think if I yanked all the cannas and papyrus and replaced them with brugs that they'd notice?

Never know,you keep teasing me,you may have ole Root knockin on the door ready to go around the corner for the happy hour special sometime,LOL,Love all your sunset posts,keep em coming,Here it's drizzly,snow but the ground is too warm for it to stick.We need rain bad!we are still 15 inches below norm this year,and we started the year with nothing for 60+ days,even then it was 1/2 inch,you don't want my water bill this summer with all the trops I have.guess I better start stocking up on soaker hoses.either that or figure out how to grow cacti!

great picture......just love it! why don't you grow brug alley trees above your canna. are your canna very tall?

Lapu Lapu's at the Royal Hawaiian? Or margaritas at Las Brisas? Come on out, Lionel and I love visitors. It rained here for nearly a solid week, a very refreshing thing. We also needed the water badly. You get used to growing water-hungry tropicals in desert conditions around here. It is much more desert here than tropical, but people are still trying to turn it into Hawaii. Here's a picture of the same property in 1927. The house I'm in is on the very, very left-hand edge, the brown one. You'll notice there aren't any palm trees.

gee, I hope you do not fall in

Lapu Lapu's,Moni likes the Maragritas',We too are water short!Keep your El nino!LOL.

Gorgeous!

Hi stella, Your pictures are amazing!!! The colours in the first one are beautiful!

Best wishes,

Bruno

Hi neighbor,
I live in Lake Forest, a stones throw from Laguna Beach.I bought my first brug at a nursery in Lake Forest last July.It is the Angels Trumpet"Alba" which has both white and gold blooms.I had some trouble in finding out how to water and feed it but after joining DGC I received some great advice from the wonderful people there and now it is growing and blooming like crazy.And it is only March.

WOW Plantsforever........ being in zone 11 you must live up to your name!

Ok, Ok, you've convinced me. My sister is coming out from Ohio in a couple of weeks and our plan is to spend the week gardening (and going to the Royal for Lapu Lapu's). Plantsforever, where in Orange County have you seen Brugs for sale? Kell, the cannas are cut back for the winter but beginning to show a lot of growth after the rains. Yes, they're tall. And invasive. I'd love to see something else there. I had dreams last night of lining the whole property with lovely multi-colored trumpets!

Six years ago I bought 3 "Tropicana" Canna Lilies. From those three I have grown over 150 plants. Two years ago I gave my neighbor,(plus others), about 40 to put in his backyard along his fence.I have since rearranged them in my yard.I have a small yard so I am always giving some away because they multiply so rapidly.This plant grows to 7 feet high and will grow indoors and outdoors.The leaves are green but as the weather gets warmer the leaves change to dark red.This plant is very striking with the semi-green and dark red leaves with the orange-gold flowers in the summer.The best time to replant this plant is in December when they tend to sleep for a while. Because of the unusually warm weather that we have been having here,my new plants are already popping up from the ground.
If you want some now it is best to buy them from a nursery in 3 gallon containers so as not to disturb the root ball.Once you plant them in the ground water them once a week or when it gets hot, twice a week.They should do well in Laguna Beach but they may not achieve the dark red leaves which give them the striking effect due to your cooler temperature.