What is it you most like about Brugmansia? What do you look for in a new hybrid? I personally like velvety or serrated leaves, velvety stems, highly fragrant, colorful, and long tendrils. Of course, some people like 5 pointed hybrids, others like 6 pointed hybrids. Still, with me, ease/speed of growth, serration, fragrance, color, lenght of tendrils, and ease of rooting are the most important in that order when I am hybridizing. If a hybrid does not exihib all of those characteristics in enough abundance I typically look at it as a possible hybridizing plant, but not of much worth besides trying to incorporate all of those traits. What characteristics do others look for? Branching, amount of flowering are obviously pretty high up on my list of desireable traits as well. One does find that seedlings can range from being sickly to being towering giants in just a few months time. Of course, many seedlings start to branch and never get more than a few feet high with loads of branches and flowers cascading down to the ground. My experience with seedlings has been that most seedlings will not bloom until they are at least 3-4 ft tall. I have had to pull all of the leaves off of some hybrids to slow the growth down so I could still reach the flowers and hybridize with them without a ladder. I personally don't think it is worth topping a Brugmansia seedling though to speed the brancing and flower production up unless it is at least 2 ft tall and one takes it back a good 6 inches or slightly more. Still, I love to ramble, please forgive me and enjoy the forum. Thanks for all the hard work Kt and Dave, I am enjoying reading everything you two are trying to do for the Brugmansia lovers here.
Sincerely,
Brugmansia
Brugmansia
i received my first brugs this time last year none over 10 inches tall...it's funny you mentioned topping, i pinched some tops out this weekend... i did that to one last summer, can't remember which one. the only people i know who have brugs just got them or i gave cuttings to. i have had three bloom, a charles grimaldi which turned out to be white, serrated leaves about 10-12 inches. someone posted a german link, wow were they pretty!
anyway, i am totally inexperienced and awed! i have mostly numbered them in the order that i got them, will probably have traded for the same ones!! so basically i have white that turns pink, white that turns yellow and white that stays white!! the rest are yet to bloom, have 12 in the ground, 3 waiting to go in the ground, and sticks, barely rooted of jean pasco, dr seuss, insignis pink, 2 KHTs that i think are very peach and yellow..
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i rarely see them in the nurseries here, and they always look [deleted] when i do, don't know if the pretty ones have already been sold. bought some mixed seeds, starting a few at a time, none up yet.
but i have a brugs farm in the making!
Arelene,
You have some very good breeding plants there. I know several hybridizers who love to breed with the Dr.Sues, Solid Gold, Charles Grimaldi, and the Jean Pasco. I personally have used the Dr.Sues extensively to breed with. Of course, I like any hybrid with a bit of aurea in it and the more aurea the more I like it as a general rule. I guess what attracts me to the Brugmasia overal as a rule is the fragrance. In fact, the Jamaican yellow blooming for the first time indoors while I was sleeping is what got me interested in Brugmansia. The fragrance was so sweet and strong it woke me up and I had to go into the other room to see it in full bloom. Just a single flower that first time, but well worth it and my love of Brugmansia had begun. So, in a nutshell, the fragrance is what sold me and not the color, although I now prefer pinks to dark oranges mostly as far as color goes and every shade inbetween. I must confess I would like a few more with 6 points as well.
Thanks for posting Arlene-will be looking for a few more Brugmansia growing in this vincinity as you are nearby.
Brugmansia
Sitting here reading up on old posts, when I found this one *lol*
My first real serious Brug addiction started, when I came out in the garden one late evening and was hit by the intense fragrance of my aurea gold ( cv. Golden Queen). I just couildn`t believe my own nose. The tree was several meters away from the garden entrance, but I could smell it loud and clear in the cool August evening breeze. Then I was sold :}
I have smelled many other Brugmansias, but none like this aurea and the wild one I grew later. B. aurea Golden Queen was my first aurea. Its long since gone now :`[ I loved this plant. Brug addiction must be a kind of love *lol* There will always this first one you don`t forget. The aureas are still the Brugs I like the best :}