I took a closer looks at frogrus first picture! What a huge monster! LOL But it is a beautiful monster. I wish, I had one like that in my garden right now!
I'm going through brug bloom withdrawal...
Thank you so much for your generous offer, Shirley....Although I have been trying to wean myself off brugs, once they start blooming (like now) I get hooked all over again. I certainly will let you know when I am in the market for some new ones. Sure is nice to know there are still some people willing to unconditionally share what they have with others.
Kris
Monster is a KBS. In June of 04 it was a baby of about 2, two foot sticks. The side you are looking at is the "tame" side. Not a great pic but it is currently raining and I am not ggoing out. The lavender to the back and right of monster is about 5 1/2 feet tall if that gives you some scale for my beast. The other side still has to go out in trade. It has bloomed without stopping for about 18 months. I guess it was so glad to leave Iowa that it never wanted to go back. I guess it is paying me back for having it in 10a instead of 5a LOL!
Butterfly will catch up to Monster in height soon. She is the real beauty with her 18" and larger leaves. The flowers sticking out every which way are not as impressive as Monster's hanging veils of flowers though. I almost took her out last summer because she had never bloomed. Scared her-she has bloomed constantly ever since.
Brugie & Monica, I would probably get rid of species except that it stays small (a rare thing in my garden) and when the blooms are pretty, they are VERY pretty. They do smell a bit like someone attacked an AVON lady though.
That's a great description of the fragrance of Species, Janice. LOL! Butterfly is one of my favorites, and I don't have KBS anymore. I got one last year and it didn't make it though the winter. Just as well. I have more than I can take care of anyway. You are really growing some great looking plants. I always enjoy seeing new pictures.
I have several Son of Monster seedlings. They are the healthiest, stoutest 1 footers I've seen. I had spidermites and broadmites in my greenhouse. They were among the few that stayed healthy.
You guys are so descriptive...I love it.
I have to wait until July before my brugs will bloom again. :-(
This message was edited Apr 5, 2006 11:28 PM
Wow, that is really a pretty one, Monika. July seems so far away. I hope that some of my bigger trees will bloom before July, but if not....well, I'll start hoping for a very late frost so I'll have time for at least three bloom flushes.
I know how you feel Monika about having to wait for the blooms. It will be mid to late to late June before mine start blooming again.
Is the picture of Fandango? Whatever it is, it is wonderful.
Everyone's pictures are beautiful!
Monika what a beautiful double. I like the color and the open inside skirt.
Son of Monster lol!!
Monica, that double is just gorgeous. i wish i haad room for all the beauties I see on this forum. As you can see, they just get too big for me here. I would have to bet a path to my door every day lol. What a fate!
That's why I'm keeping all of mine in big parts. My back yard used to look like a jungle. (I liked it that way) My husband doesn't like the crowded look.
David, its is B. x candida fl. pl. Luise. I love to live in a brug jungle. DH takes it with humor. LOL
WOW! How beautiful! I am just new to the forum, and Brugs. I want to get started growing brugs, I love the Big Pendulous blooms. (Oh, the mailman just dropped another box off - more plants. My daughter is being forced to help me this spring - unexpected surgeries and unexpected recovery time with physical therapy.) Anyway, need suggestions to get started. I would like to grow them in pots so they are easy to bring in. Also, need information on greenhouses, heated? not heated? How big......so many questions for a novice. Thanks for any help, Marie
Hi Marie. Welcome to the world of Brugmansia and to Daves Garden. I can help you with the growing in pots part of your question, but someone with a better greenhouse than I have will have to jump in and discuss that with you.
I grow a lot of mine in pots. I start them out in small pots (4 inch) and as they fill the little pots with roots, they get moved into bigger pots, usually quart size. When they have filled up a gallon pot with roots, I, myself, move them into 20 gallon pots, but they will do okay in 5 gallon if you can watch them during the hot part of the day for extra watering needs. With the 20 gallon pots, I generally water morning and night when it is hot and that will hold them.
I use a soilless mix that has bark in it for good drainage and it is called ProMix, but there are many kinds that will work. I fertilize a couple of times a week and put underplantings in most of the pots. Last year I grew quite a few brugs in three gallon size pots and they flowered quite well. Hot days did require that mid day watering for the smaller pots, for sure. The biggest problem for me and small containers is being able to keep them upright with the winds we get.
I have stored them in my basement over the winter as well as the garage that stays above freezing, tho I did lose a couple out there this winter. My husband's shop is also used for storage, and he watches over those. I take cuttings and keep them in the house as well as any totally special brugs that I want to make sure survives the winter.
What zone is it where you live? I'm sure cold might describe it in the winter. LOL! Anyway, this is just a drop in the bucket to the amount of information there is available on growing brugmansia. Feel free to post any questions. There are many good helpers in this forum.
I hope you get to feeling better very soon. Surgery and therapy wouldn't be so bad if we could always plan it for the winter months. It's great that your daughter is willing to help you now.
Shirley
Shirley, I live in zone 5, occasionally we get bad winters that the temp drops < 0 for several days at time. I have a few house plants that I put out for the summer - and yes I do come home occasionally to see them all tipped over from the wind - especially my 7' rubber tree. My garage generally stays above freezing but I have not overwintered anything in it. I have been looking at cataloges and trying to 'study up' before getting any brugs, mine would have to be brought in during the winter - so not to tall. Any help is appreciated. Thanks, Marie
There are a couple of things you can do with them....you can take cuttings and not overwinter the plant or you can cut it off and root the top again to the height you want it if it gets too tall. If it is about the way you like as far as size goes, you can just bring it in. I'll look up some good links and email them to you through here.
Shirley, I just ordered 15 cuttings from a nursery in Florida. Can't wait. Got your D-mail, thanks and I will be contacting you when I get the cuttings. Marie
Now the fun will begin. Congrats.