How do I tame this beast?

I'm going to post this pic and ask for help even tho I'm afraid you all will talk about my scraggly Brugs for years. It looks pitiful, and stays that way most of the year, as I struggle to keep it alive. This year when the weather turned cold I put it in the garage and poof it bloomed profusely! It either love the cold, the dark, or the combination. ?? It finally stopped blooming and I desperately need to do something with it before I forget about it, again.

I keep it in a pot on my porch because that's the only place that has any shade, but I think that it must get too hot. Can these live in the ground in N. Texas?

I shouldn't be answering as I am just starting Brugs....I am in zone 9 and wouldn't put one in the ground here....only pots....tonight it will be 32 on the dot, if not lower.....

Really? The first time I ever saw a Brugs was mid-January a few years ago at a plantation outside of New Orleans. I fell in love! It was a huge bush full of blooms and smelled wooonderful! It was also close to freezing temps outside and this plant wasn't having any problems at all. So is it the heat it doesn't like?

KK put it in the ground on the east side of your house. It would be in afternoon shade which is perfect. They can take It may die back for winter but will come back in spring. If it hasn't been cut back that is why it has gotten straggley looking

Yes you can plant it in the ground in Texas. I live in Tyler and we are 8a right at the edge of 7b. What you can do is dig it up at first freeze or cut it off and put lots of mulch around it for winter.

Do you know what kind it is?
You can cut it back any place you like and stick the cutting in water and they will root.
How much shade are you talking about. Brugs like sun, too.
I would move it around this summer and see what it likes. Morning sun is best for most brugs but full sun in Texas is very hard on them.
Do you have trouble with bugs and what do you put on it for food?
It looks like you do not have any large trees in your yard is that right?

Your brug is fine it just needs some place to grow in the summer.

Kell is a very good person to tell you how to grow it.

Joan

It is so ugly! I've definitely got to cut it back, but where?? The Y is way at the top. I don't really care how much has to go tho.

The east side of my house is the only place with shade but it is built up (a swale) and I can't plant on it. The only other area I have gets afternoon shade, which is better than nothing. Actually, it's better than being on the porch because it's getting all afternoon sun there.

You're right Joan, no large trees yet. If I put it in the one available spot it would get all morning sun. It would probably thank me because afternoon sun on the porch makes it wilt daily.

I did have a problem with bugs the first year I had it. I think it was spider mites. I used a recommended fertilizer with an insecticide in it (Bayer) and I've not had any more problems. I only used that because it was in a pot but won't use it again if I put it in the ground.

I don't know what kind it is, except that it's yellow. Here it is on a "field trip" from the garage to the sunny porch.

That's cool.. I bet it smells good huh? This is only my second year with brugs.. I'm no expert by any means.. but from what I've learned... the more you cut, the longer you will have to wait for blooms. IMHO I think it looks fine for this time of year.. May need a little cutting back of the long straggly ones.. but hey, You oughta see mine! LOL They are all dead sticks shedding their skin.. it's not pretty.
Do you fertilize?

Maybe you could prune the lower branches off and turn it into a standard. It won't be the prettiest standard, but with time, it won't look so crooked. Prund above the 'Y' and leave about 6 nodes beyond the node on each of the remaining branches. My Brugs prefer morning sun and afternoon shade. Those big leaves wilt too quickly in the hot afternoon sun.

KK if you are going to put it in the ground, go ahead and cut it back to about 6" and let it all regrow. Every year it will get bigger and fuller. Cut it back now and plant it in the ground in Spring so roots can get established before winter. Put about 6" of mulch. Cut it back in winter and cover completely with mulch

afternoon shade is a must I have very little luck with any brug except mm here in central tx none of them can take the heat they bloom early spring then again in fall when the temps cool down mountain magic being the only exception so far.i got rid of all the others and I am trying some other varieties that are supposed to take the heat painted lady and a common white good luck.

Hey Ted, big fan! ;) I guess the cooler temps (in the garage) was what mine liked. Cutting it back and planting it in the morning sun sounds like a plan. The next few days are supposed to warm up so I can get started on it!

Ted you are all most to Huston and you and I have a lot more humidity then KK and i think Burleson may be on the fault and it is lime stone and not acid soil. I am not sure what he needs to do to the soil to make it right can you help him out here.

We are doing some studies here to see what will hold up in hot East Texas so if both of you will DM me in the fall I will let you know what we have found out.

I will send you some that are good here.

Joan

It's humid here but nothing like Houston. This past year was much less humid than the previous years.

My soil is a thick alkaline clay but my beds have been improved with tons of compost etc. Which soil do Brugs prefer?


Paige (a she) lol

It's not nearly as humid here as it is in houston,in fact in summer humidity can be almost nonexistant as far as soil goes I amend it with compost,manure,etc etc etc and try to keep the ph as close to 7 as I can get usually around 6.7 but I'm no expert this seems to be about the ph level everything seems to do well at except for acid loving plants Roses,azelias,etc etc

Ted, do you have that thick gumbo or or clay. We have sand and clay with acid so we can grow all the good old roses and azaleas but NO Bluebonnets. I lived in Austin and Houston and I think I miss the Bluebonnets the most in the spring.

KK, I hope you have a lot of bluebonnets in your yard. Joan

black land gumbo I guess you could call it.its taken me years to get used to it.

I had just gotten used to it and we move to Austin and lived on top of a lime stone mound with 2" of soil put over it and then to the Piny Woods and acid soil. I have learned a lot about what you can and can't grow in different kinds of soil but don't tell me I can't grow it because I will try and a lot of times it does work. Joan

Joan, I had a few BB last year. I've got seeds I'm fixing to start and hopefully some will come back from seed. I'll get some at the store too. I do love them tho so I think maybe I do need a lot! :)

I still haven't decided what to do with the Brugs. I am going to move it but not sure if I'll cut it back. I went out with pruners in hand and saw that every branch now has a Y, and one even had a bud, so I just couldn't do it.

Oh please don't cut it if it has a "Y". Wait until fall and you can cut all the branches off and put them in water for the winter and have a lot of fast blooming Brugs all along the east side. I am so glad you waited now you will have all kind of blooms this spring.

Have a great time with it and be sure to show us pictures.

Joan

It just can't get much uglier so I might as well let it bloom if it wants! At least if I plant it I won't have to drag the pot around or pray that the wind doesn't blow it over. It is so top heavy tho that I might have to do some sort of staking since our winds have been so strong. If that doesn't work then I'll go ahead and cut it back rather than have it break or uprooted.

I hope I have pretty pics of it to show! :) Thanks for all the advice everyone!