I'm just curious. I'm sure ya'll have your "favorite, tried and true" brugs that you've not had much trouble with between the bugs and the heat. So, I'd like to know what everyone thinks are their best performers.
Mine would be Whiskers, who never, ever wilts, no matter the heat and sun, and I don't think bugs really like it. This has pods for me for the first time, which are ready to burst, so I'm very anxious to see it in bloom!! After that would be my Suaveolens Yellow start (no buds, but hardy) and Double White. The one that doesn't do too well in this heat would be an Isabella type (no bug problems, just wilts -- gorgeous blooms, though) and my least favorite is my Enchanted Double White, which the bugs seem to like, and it drops buds left and right. :(
So, I'm just curious what everyone's tried and true brugs are.
Best Brug Performer for you?
indiana_lily
My favorite would have to be Frosty Pink... insects don't care for her and she has bloomed her heart out for us this year while most of the others, including Whiskers, said they would wait for cooler temperatures. The heat has been horrible here and we've been in a drought.
Judy
My favorite for several years now is a little known one from a Susie French seed that Tracey Plunk grew out. Pure Love. Big, fat and sassy!
I just love everything about it and it entertains me all summer long. Even the buds are so much fun, like blimps. And though my brug summer has sucked lemons, this brug has graced me with its beauty.
I have sent it out to a few people wanting to hear if it gets golden highlights for them too in different climates. Here it is but in person it is touched with more gold.
Kell, mine hasn't y'd yet, so it probably won't bloom this season. Yours is beautiful I am hoping I will see a bloom once it get's moved into the greenhouse.
The brug that does the best for me is B. creamsickle. It is always the earliest to start blooming and very seldom is without blooms during the summer. It seems to handle our heat very well. Even those day's that we got up to 115 this summer didn't hurt it.
That is very pretty, Kell. And those buds!! Good grief!
Don't get me wrong, my unknown pink has been a trooper, but I had to move her numerous times to get her in the "perfect," spot, and even then, she would wilt so horribly.
Whiskers just impresses me a lot because I got it on June 16 and was nowhere near getting a "Y." It has not lost one bud, and the bugs stay far away from it.
If you even breath on the Enchanted Double White, it loses its buds. And, the bugs love eating holes in its leaves.
Here's a picture of my unknown pink from Saturday.
and, here's Whiskers today....
Your Whiskers looks just great! I remember mine used to get mites so bad I tossed it. Though if I followed that rule this year, I would be brugless in California. LOL
Isn't it funny how brugs do so differently in different places? I love yellow brugs too, so cheerful.
Patricia, I forgot I had given you a cutting of Pure Love. I hope it does great for you. Now I know where I can come if I kill mine off. I leave it outside in winter and it does great. I am getting so attached though, I may be nicer to it this winter and then for sure I will kill it, LOL.
I love Cream sickle too. Does yours change to orange easily? I can never figure out what triggers the color change. I was thinking the cooler weather but if your changes colors too in your heat, forget that theory. LOL
Pure Love is adorable Kell. So FAT & Sassy!
My current fav is Maya, she's on her 4th bloom flush this year and I'm still waiting on 1st blooms from most of the rest.
Kell, some years my creamsickle get's alot or orange in it and some years it doesn't. This year I have a new plant and so far the blooms are staying white. I am anxious to see what it does when we get our Fall weather.
I have to say the one brug that has been tougher then nails is the isabella...last year it was the photo of the day on Daves and this year its starting to follow like last year...and its nice to hear that whiskers is a good one too since I just got mine a few weeks ago and I think its got some buds on it already..I cant wait to see it bloom....
The one that has been my all time favorite is my maya...it is huge this year and has flushed for me twice and getting more buds to do it again...Im not sure about anybody else in Michigan who grows burgs but right now is premo time....the brugs are looking wonderful and all that are old enough are setting buds...hoping we can see them all before we start getting frost....Judy
Excuse the glare from our marine layer. My vote is Butterfly. She was groaning in the heat 2 weeks ago but look at her today. She has survived the bugs and opossums that have reduced her foliage by a third this summer (%@&* possum) and just keeps blooming. KBS is a close second but the bugs like it a bit better. It has big swaths of hanging down blossoms for those who like that look better than Butterflys attempts ot pretend to be a datura with blossoms pointing upwards.
Edited to say, for smell I pick V. Peach. She is the smaller leafed tree next to butterfly.
This message was edited Aug 29, 2006 8:46 AM
Your Butterfly is gorgeous!!! And huge!!
I can't believe you have possums eating your brugs! We have some possums, but luckily they haven't found mine -- yet!
I like Maya and the verigated leaves, and since it seems to do well....
Hmmm... maybe next year I'll have to get Butterfly and Maya. I really like the way Mountain Treasure looks.
So many brugs, and not enough overwintering space!
Possums go after the snails on the brugs. The get too high on branches that cannot hold them and break out huge limbs. I now have several standards started. Grrrrr. Ah well. Does the plant look like it was missing anything? I had to trim it away from V,Peach last week since it got cooler. It was completely covering it providing a canopy. V. peach is not a sun lover so butterfly protects her Lol!
No, it doesn't look like Butterfly is missing anything. You did a really good job trimming Butterfly up. How tall is it?
I like the "nodding" flowers on Brugs the best, like my unknown pink. That way you can actually see the flower's "face." :)
Maybe that's it -- I don't have snails or slugs on my brugs -- yet. My lilies and hostas are infested with them, though -- no matter how much snail "food" I put around everything!
She is 12 feet or so. She was a double wide before the trim Lol. I have to unbury the leopard plant every year(the one with the big round leaves) sometimes twice. My neighbor was sad as I trimmed all of the plant that was hanging over their side of the fence.
Try this for slugs. It really works.
SLUG BREAD
1 Tbsp sugar
1 Tbsp yeast
1/2 to 3/4 cup flour
Use 1 quart container, put ingredients in. Fill 1/4 full with lukewarm water and set aside. Let it rise, then when bubbley, add more lukewarm water 'til 3/4 full. Stir and set out in low containers (tuna cans, bottom part of plastic cups, etc), about 1/2 full. Best to put out in early evening, and by morning, you will have slugs in it. Can be left out for a week at a time, depending on weather. Caution--dogs will lap it up--slugs and all : (
Some snails will go for it, but slugs love it!!
Thanks much for the recipe, Janice!! I will definitely try that!
wow, 12 feet tall. That just boggles my mind. But, then again, you're in San Diego and don't have to bring them in during the winter, just let them take over!! :)
That seems so strange about slugs... How can they be attracted to something that is on unlike plants?? I know it works... I use beer myself but what is it that is attractive??
I think it's the smell . I read that during the day plants take in CO-2 for photo synithis - so a simple CO-2genertor is
1. Fill the large jug with slightly warm water. Not hot, not even warm, just a bit warmer than lukewarm. The warmth wakes up the yeast.
2. Now add sugar to the water . One part sugar to every five parts of solution.
3. Empty the packet of yeast in the jug and stir.
4. After a few hours the yeast should be active
and producing carbon dioxide. The production of carbon dioxide can be observed by actual bubbles floating to the surface.
5.The only thing you have to do now is maintain the life of your yeast population. Dump out some of the solution and add fresh water so that is
does not become stagnant. Add a few teaspoons of sugar. Do this every week or two.
6.Theoretically, your yeast population can last foran eternity!
---
There were slugs and snails all over the thing after a day . The smell / CO-2 was giving me head-akes so I dumped it .
Oh Frogs, to live in San Diego. What a life! Your brug is just so pretty too. I have lots of slugs but if I start baking for them, my husband's feelings will be so hurt for I do not bake for him anymore. He will also have more proof that I am nuts.
So Tony, were your slugs all over your yeast fizz or the slug bread? A fizz I may be able to handle.