This is a fun place to gather and talk about our Brugs, most of us are just in this for a few fun blooms others are experts that are into the limited and rare brugs out there. Meet greet and have fun.
Brugs - do you grow them? Part two.
There are some wonderful new Brugs available, but the price can be astronomical. One Brug, hybridized by a DG member, gordo, is a triple yellow called The Chief that is to die for. It sold on e-Bay for $280.00. Several of us toyed with the idea of forming a consortium to buy it, getting an expert to grow it for us and have the grower send out rooted cuttings when the mother plant was big enough, but that idea fell through. I have no idea how high the winner would have been willing to go to get it.
I have a few white and a few pink doubles. Since I just purchased them, they are still small plants except for a large double apricot called Creamsickle that I have had for about 3 years. She has always bloomed a creamy white for me. I think it's because of our hot Texas summers. I may have to toss her out if she has what I suspect is SB, a contagious non-curable fungal disease. http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/420154/
I am trying to get it confirmed or cleared. If it is SB disease, I have to throw the Brug out, pot and all.
The Chief:
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/793561/
This was my Creamsickle last year.
280 - for a plant? This old country boy would have a hard time bidding on anything that high. The most I have paid for a brug - 1.00! Betty I do wish you would have though - you have one of the best collections in the state of Texas that I have had the honor to peek into now and then.
I'am trying once more to get some to grow and bllom for me to.. love them i look at all pictures.
I'm new at this and now I'm trying to figure out how to get my new pretties started right. I have the two fairly large ones from Ted's hybridizing efforts, Mitch's noid yellow, Maya and Pink Favorite. I don't have that many BIG pots. And, since I also have to find 3 large pots for plumies, I'd prefer to put some in the ground, if I can. Do y'all think any of those would be safe, if I mulch heavily next fall?
I started planting mine in the ground today. I planted Mitch's great big noid that starts off yellow and turns peachy pink. He gave me two huge ones in October, and I gave one to my sister. I didn't think they were coming back, but they came on strong this spring to my delight!
I planted a noid white from the FWRU in October. I had another that I marked Bluepoppy and a question mark and a NOID. I planted my Isabella that I have been calling Flameco in error. I discovered a tag on it's roots that confirmed it as Isabella.
I bought one at Lowe's when I was in Houston last weekend. It was blooming a pretty creamy orange even though it was only about a foot tall. It was $4.99 so I had to get it. The tag just says Orange Brugmansia/Datura (go figure). I got it in the ground.
I got seven planted in all so far. Digging in the sand is easy, cutting through the coastal hay is not so easy. I am laying black plastic down around them to stop the coastal. Then I am covering that with leaves and pinestraw to hopefully keep the heat down from the black plastic. I used the water crystals to help with the watering needs. The sand here doesn't hold moisture. I added some rotted leaves mixed in with the sand to help it out. Of course I used "The Recipe" to get them started, and also added some Osmacote for a bonus food.
I put the first seven in direct sun. I have read and read and read again reports of whether to plant in sun or filtered sun or shade. Since I have seen some say that direct sun is good, I am going with that for now as that is what I have about 45 acres of to work with.
I need lots of sympathy because the heat nearly cooked my goose today and I still have about 30 more brugs to plant.
Ken, I am coming to the round-up at Nadine's this fall. Is that the one you are referring to?
Charlene
I am trying to figure out what to plant where myself. Most of mine will get morning to noon sun then shaded the rest of the day which should be more than enough for them in theis west texas sun. Our one that we had in the ground last year has come back wonderfully and is growing like a weed. My mother and I both fretted over it with the first snows but everything that was covered with the bubble wrap is sprouting beautiful huge leaves already... and our daffodils are still blooming here.. and tulips.. those are just about finished. Yes, brugs do survive the winters with temps getting into the teens... as long as the ground does not really freeze more than an inch or so deep.
I bought two Dr. Seuss cuttings recently that arrived completely dried out and they did not make it.. anyone have any available sometime soon? I don't have anything to trade yet.. everything is small right now but hopefully will have some by fall when we cut everything back for the winter.. now that I know how to save the main trunk and first y's... will do it with more of them this year... yea... more brugs in the ground.
Tammy, did you wrap the whole plant with bubble wrap, or just mulch with it?
I wraped the main trunk and first y's to about 2 1/2 ft up from the ground.. left some un trimmed and un wrapped above that.. that remaining part is now dead wood but absolutely every bit that was wrapped with bubble wrap is green and growing! .. right to the edge of where the bubble wrap was. I just wrapped and used the stretchy green plant ties to tie it in place.. worked great.. easy, quick, no mess and it stayed in place all winter without having to mess wtih it at all. We did this just before the first freeze. If I had known it would work so well, I would have wraped even higher...bubble wrap is cheap and I have it to use again this winter.
Tammie
Charlene, don't use black plastic unless it is the kind that has micropores punched into it. The plastic will keep oxygen from reaching the root system. It also prevents the even distribution of water and nutrients. If you don't mind using herbicides, use Ornamec. It suppresses grasses for a while. Then you can lay down 6 - 8 sheets of newspaper or landscape cloth followed by mulch.