Brugmansia in Texas?

I have lived in Texas my whole life and I have Never seen a brug. Will they not grow here? I am building a gh and would love to grow some. Any one grow any in Texas?

I'm not sure about your area, what is your zone? but there are tons of serious brugmaniacs in the lone star state. I'm a beginner that got enticed into brugs right here in the BRUG forum. Go ck it out! Don't have many but they have provided a lot of pleasure. DGers trade cuttings all the time.

I was bitten by the Brugmansia bug this year. I live in Zone 8b about 55 miles southeast of Austin. I have all mine in pots although according to DG's PlantFiles some could go in the ground. Others are destined to live in pots all their lives. They'll all go in the greenhouse within the next 2 weeks. We had a surprise last night. It got down to 30ºF. Although a few people in the Brugmansia Forum have said their Brugs have survived temperatures in the high 20's without damage, I don't want to take chances. Besides most of those people live in the San Francisco Bay Area and those temperature dips usually last a couple of hours. The propane heater was able to keep the temperature in the 40's in the greenhouse last year.

There are people whose Brugmansias spend months in their greenhouse. You could keep Brugmansias in pots or plant them in the ground in spring and dig them out in the fall for winter storage. Other people take cuttings of their Brugmansias inside to root in water during winter thereby avoiding all that heavy lifting. Your area gets too cold in the winter for them to be left in the ground. Here in central Texas, mulched Brugmansias will die down to the ground and resprout from the roots.
Veronica

Mine are all inground, except for cuttings that I'm rooting--those are potted. They will go inground in the spring.

I have seen them up here with protection take a winter . . but you have to keep them covered in the worse part of the winter and add some chirstmas lights to help keep them warm. I keep a lime tree alive this way - they stay small and plant them so the warmth on the house hits them. So far my lime tree is ok - Mitch

Wow. I cant belive I have never seen any. And I know I would have noticed. My zone is 7b. I haven't started trading here yet. I really dont think I have anything anyone would want. lol thanks for all the response. I think I am a new Brug fan.

Welcome to the TX Gardening forum! Yes, you get lots of freezing weather and snow up there, so you'd either need to baby them in a greenhouse, or spend the winter rooting cuttings. One thing is for sure though, you'll find lots of people who don't care what their zone is, they will grow what they want! Good luck! :-)

They are root hardy in zone 8, but 7 is stretching it a bit. You'll probably have to keep in pots.
Over wintering them is easy. Just keep in your garage, and water here and there, but keep them more on the dry side for winter.
In Spring, take outside, and begin to water more, and fertilize.
Happy brug-ing!
-T

lavendarwolf, I was SHOCKED to find them growing in my local wildflower garden! Our Parks & Rec. dept. planted them 2 years ago, and every year, they self-seed and come back! I couldn't BELIEVE it as I strolled through there a couple of weeks ago and found them! They also had bloom buds, so I came home and told my brugs (three potted, one in ground) that the sweet-talking gentle prodding was OVER! Buck up! They're "wildflowers!" =D

mkjones,
What your Parks and Rec. Dept. planted were more than likely Datura. They are annuals that readily self-seed. Brugmansias very seldom self-seed and usually get hugh.

Trust me, bettydee.......they're Brugs, not Daturas. I've got both..... =) They're brugs.....with buds, and I *think* the guy I was asking about them may have been off when he said they self-seeded. I had asked if they came back after winter, and he mentioned that he thought they might have. I'm betting they did! I'm still so psyched!

I had one in the ground here that came back from the roots from lst year before the summer lack of rain made it bite the dust. They will come back from the roots in all but our bad years for winter from what I have been told. So alway take a cutting just in case.

Mitch

Oh, Mitch.....I'm DEFINITELY the "take a cutting just in case" gardener!! You should see all of the cuttings that I've got going around here!! =D

My husband's going to throw me out.......something about no indoor greenhouses in the vows?? lol

Hey I take cuttings from a ton of stuff and line the windows with them!

A friend gave me a nice one this summer, and I planted it outside, I plant to leave it there, mulch it well and hope it makes it.
Josephine.

Mine is in a pot, stands about 5ft tall, and is now sitting next to me. It has a bloom almost ready to open and several others and I was afraid the wind was going to blow them off. It was small last year and lived all winter in the bathtub (why else do they call them garden tubs?!) but it's way too big for that this year. I think I might try cutting off a Y piece and rooting it since I don't have a greenhouse.

MY question is whether I can plant it in the ground here in full sun!?! They get too top heavy in the pot and dry out too fast. It just makes it a real task to keep them alive. I don't have any shade except on my porch tho. Anyone??

Konkrete-
Why don't you keep it in your garage over the winter? You don't need a greenhouse for brugs...just keep from freezing.

Planted in full sun, they'll wilt. It would be really hard to water them enough to withstand full hot TX sun, and not scorch, turn yellow, or dry out...
In the ground, it may come back some years, and not come back, others. It depends upon whether or not the winter is a wet one. A dry freeze isn't as harmful as a wet freeze...
-T

T, that's where it will eventually go. To get it from the porch to the garage today meant going around the corner where the wind was gusting and I was afraid it would blow me and the plant over. lol The front door was much closer so I just brought it inside. If our winter is mild it might not have to stay in the garage too much.

Mine is just so flimsy and the pot falls over too easy, so I was hoping I could put it in the ground. Last week I put it in the garage one cold night and when I moved it back outside it fell over and broke off the bloom! :( I only have one spot that gets any shade and that's late afternoon in the summer. Could it survive with even that much sun? I would have to rearrange some things but it might be worth it.

That sounds like a better spot (the one with afternoon shade). If you plant it out in Spring, and it has all season to grow, it will have its best chance at getting established enough to survive next winter.
-T

Koncreteblond....you CRACKED ME UP with the garden tub comment! Believe me, if the hubby weren't around.......I'd have plants in every nook, cranny, extra tub, sink........lol.........as it is, there's a "windowsill ordinance" in our house. One plant per 'sill. I'm always in "violation".........ahh, well...........

=) MKJ

I have brugs in full sun, far south tip of TX. They don't get as tall as the ones that get shade.
Before you plant, it's very important to amend the soil. I dig the holes about 2 ft deep and 3 ft wide. I scoop all the soil out, mix in soil-saver compost stuff, peat moss and composted rabbit manure. I put some of the amended soil back in the hole, put the brug in and filled with more amended soil. I leave the area around the brug slightly lower than the surrounding lawn so it holds more water. I also mulch with a thick layer of chopped straw(I use straw or lawn clippings for mulch on all my beds). After they get established, a once a week soaking will usually do, unless it's windy. They wind really dries them out fast.
This is KBS growing beside the pool with absolutely no shade.

That is a beautiful brug Susie. It looks quite happy there in your full sun. That 'setting it in lower ground' part, sounds like a great tip!
-T

It works great Taylor, just lay the hose down and let the area fill with water. The farmers use "flood irrigation" for their crops, so I figured I'd try it for my flowers.

MKJ, I have a feeling there are going to be more things in the bathroom garden this year too! Luckily our shower is separate and my son isn't as fond of baths as showers now. I am very lucky that my dh never cares tho!

I think I might just try my only shady spot in the spring. That idea of setting it a little lower is really good! My yard is lightly sloped (for drainage) so I'll need to do that in that spot. Currently my plant is still enjoying the warm of this room tho. The buds are starting to open and I'm thinking how wonderful it would smell in here if I just waited a few days! mmmmm....

Calalily,
Your white brug is beautiful. I have only tried one brug, and needless to say it didn't make it. I live south of Houston, and our soil is heavy clay. For most plants here, they don't recommend adding any mulch, etc. to the holes before planting, but raised beds are just too much trouble for me to build on my own (DH's hand doesn't fit a shovel), so I'm thinking maybe if I added just the right amounts of the different material needed, I might have a chance. The theory in this area is if you add mulch, etc. to a hole and get hard rain, the plant will drown. I am going to take your instructions and see what I can do. If you have any more ideas for this hard-clay gardening in regard to the brugs, I certainly will appreciate it. Thanks.
Carol

Carol, Okay, so not that I know anything about Brugs, not really, but on your question about the clay. We have clay after you dig down about 2" (the backfill that the builder put in). When I put my beds in, I added Landscape conditioner and a couple of bags of good garden soil. The beds aren't really raised and if you dig down very far, you get back to the clay. I said all of that to say, I got a Brug in a trade and put it in the ground without amending the soil anymore (not really knowing any better) and it has done fine. I don't know what variety it is, but since early summer when I put it in, it has grown a few inches and looks healthy (except where something keeps eating some of the leaves). I haven't seen flowers yet, but it was a rooted cutting, so that doesn't surprise me too much.

The big caution that I read and later found to be very true about the clay is don't add sand to it otherwise you end up with concrete. I'm sure most people know that, but since these are the first beds that I actually put in, I didn't. Our builder had to come back in and fill in some areas of our yard and they used sand and put sod on top. I removed the sod, but left the sand. Sometimes I swear you need a jackhammer to dig in there. Surprisingly, the mortality rate of my plants has been fairly low, but now when I move something or re-do a bed, I put some more good dirt in there to try to help it a little at a time.

Anyway, my two cents...

Shugguns, you're right about the sand! In TN we had clay and I added sand.......it turned hard as a rock. Here we have delta silt, not clay. It sucks up the water fast, but drains fast too. It forms a crust on top that will crack when really dry but breaks easily if you pick up a piece and crumble it between your fingers. I can dig and dig and never hit a hard layer of anything which is good I guess.
There are layers of shells and teeny smooth pebbles in the soil from eons of flooding. The soil layers are different colors depending on what was deposited that year I guess.
Carol, it must be something in the manufacture of shovel handles cause my DH's hand won't fit one either, lol.

Susie-
Sounds like a dream...great soil and zone 10! lol...who could ask for more?

Shugguns-I think sand alone causes "concrete", but I add sand on a regular basis. Sandy loam is the best, but sometimes I just get sand at Home Depot. The key is that I ALSO add a peat mix and finely shredded landscapers mix. Then, top with a lot of strong compost. I've done it for the past few years, as well as every time I dig.

My soil has taken years to improve, but I can now dig with ease(sometimes even with just my hand!) and have LOTs of worms.

The worms are now increased because I feed them. Never realized how much they ate until I tried a worm bin(vermicomposting). I now coat the ground each winter, with a layer of shredded paper(I collect all year in garbage bags in the garage). Then top it with lots of mown-over leaves, then whole leaves, and then even sometimes top again with the larger and slower to deteriorate "purchased mulch".

I've also had many things come back from winter that were supposed to die. All that heat from the decomposition, plus just the insulation, pushes my zone a bit. It also gives the worms plenty to eat in the winter...and we all know worms are great for aerating and loosening the soil. They are my mini-tillers, lol...
-T

Seedpicker,
You definitely have the solution. Mulching is really key to it all; it does take years and it has to be a constant gardening chore. Here, we can purchase by the truckload a mixture they label as gardening soil, but of course that has to be added to quite often. Sandy 'loam' is perfect -- if I only lived in that area (wishful thinking). After all these years, I have finally talked DH into purchasing a backhoe/digger. In fact he went to pick it up today. So after I learn how to use it, the hard task of shoveling can be abandoned.

I have added worms as well, but if the mulching isn't mainained, they do disappear, too. Even those little guys can't tolerate pure clay.

Calalily and Shuggins,

It sounds like the three of us have the same problem -- definitely the "best" soil in the forum -- Egads! I may have more luck placing the brugs in a pot.

I am always open to any and all suggestions. Thanks.
Carol

Hi,
I live in Austin. I planted a yellow Brug. last year that was about 18".
This year it is about 4'x4' and is in full bloom right now. I'm not sure if this is the correct thing to do but I cut it back last winter and put a 5 gallon bucket over it when the weather got too cold. It was one of the first plants to peak out in the spring.
cindyy

cindyy, Well that is good information to have. I hadn't thought of putting a bucket over it.

I did cover some plants with buckets or large plastic nursery pots and they provided adequate protection. However, if it gets windy, you have to put a rock or something on top, or else they start flying all over the place.

Cindyy,
Congratulations to you!
Carol

Seedpicker, When you put down your shredded paper, is it newspaper or xerox type paper or does it matter? The office I work at has a shredder and I would guess that I could acquire the shredded paper if copy/printer paper would work. Also, I don't have access to leaves in enough volume to use in the beds. Can I put down the paper and then just the purchased mulch or would it be better to put down commercial "organic compost" which has cow manure also with some other additives and then the commercial mulch? Definitely have to cover the paper or the darling dogs will have a field day with it.

Thanks.

Bettydee,
What kind of soil do you have in your area? I'm thinking sandy loam.
Thanks a lot.
carol

Vossner, the WIND!!!!!!! =0 I'm going to have to find a VERY large rock. My 7 ft. peach keeps falling over, and I'm just sick.....that brug probably had two dozen buds too.........about to pop open.....lost three.

=(

Oh mk, that is awful! Mine did the very same thing! I lost the only bloom mine had and you know those things don't open quickly. I did put a stone on my pot and it has stayed up and has 5 blooms now and a lot of buds. I'm hoping that when I pull it into the garage when our cold front comes thru that I don't knock any off!!

Krispi, Canyon Lake, Tex., Zone 8, Nov. 14, 2005, 8:10 PM, I am new to DG, and just crawling, are you talking about Angel Trumpts, like the ones shown on this page? Do the single ones put on the big seed pods like the double ones do? If not, you need to experence the double ones. Mine puts huge seed pods on after each bloom, and they make thousands of seeds in them. I have yellow and am babying a purple one for seeds. Some how I gave away so many purple ones till I only have one from my seeds, but they are easy to grow from seeds, and come back in the spring.

Carol,

Most of our soil is sandy loam although we have some spots of heavy clay. The soil drains very quickly which, I suppose, would be ideal for Brugmansias.

Suzie, I'm going to root some cuttings to try out in full sun next spring. That way if they don't make it, I still have the parent plant.

mk and konkreteblond, My potted plumeria kept falling over at the slightest gust of wind until I had my husband place the pot next to a buried wooden fence post and chain the pot to it. I'm going to do the same for my potted Brugs next year, but I want to use T- posts since they are easier to drive into the ground.

Krispi, there aren't any purple Brugmansias (Angel's Trumpet). You probably have Datura. The seed pods are slightly prickly and produced in large quantities.
Veronica

That is what I need to know, the flowers look just like the purple Daturas you all have under that section. How do I get seeds from the purples that are double?