This is going to be one of those sort of stupid questions but thought I'd go ahead and get people's input. I have only grown Brugmansias occasionally (actually only twice ever) and have had mixed results both times...thus the reason for my question.
I purchased a beautiful, almost specimen size Brugmansia 'Cypress Gardens' for a large planter I have. The planter size is approximately, 36 inches tall/30 inches across. The brug isn't quite large enough yet to fill the container so I'd like to add more annuals/tropicals to the container. I have six 'Tidal Wave Silver' petunias I'd like to add and wondered if there would be a conflict between the two? My only concern is fertilizer issues. I never feed petunias anything except a fertilizer high in phosphates to promote bloom. Will the brug do okay with this? I figured it would as it would obviously help promote blooms as well. Or is the brug better off with something high in nitrogen? If there is a conflict in fertilizer preferences, that's fine. I can find something else to use. It will give me another reason to visit the local greenhouse. BTW, does anyone have things they like to use with Brugmansias if petunias don't work?
I can't wait to see this Brug bloom. It has loads of small, thumb-sized buds near the top of the plant. In truth this will be the only brugmansia I've ever grown to flower. My problems before were site situations and the type of Brug used. Full, hot-baking sun, no shelter from wind at all...they struggled in the open space and succumbed to the weather. Now that I have moved to a new location, I have a great spot for them and will inevitably try more if I am successful.
Guess that's more than one question isn't it?
Have a question on Brug planters w/ other plants
Glen, I'm going to underplant a couple brug pots this year. I read petunias are heavy feeders, just have to keep the blooms deadheaded for more blooms, but I think they would work great. I've planted trailing verbena under clematis and hibiscus before.. It responds well to fertilizer.. I also thought of maybe trying scaevola (fan flower) I'm not sure if it likes the extra food.... I've feed mine 20-20-20 for years.. I'm trying to be more "green" this year and may go totally organic... Can't wait to see your Cypress Garden blooms... I expect you WILL have to have more brugs... it's just finding their happy spot.
Glen... If your CG is it that big already.. and you have blooms... no need for a high N fertilizer.. you can go right with a nice bloombooster type.. both should do real well ... although.. it will be very shady under there... in short order .. iwhen CG fills out.. I often have a sun lover to start with... then underplant with a more shade loving item....
CG was myfirst... Ihad 140 blooms open at one time with it.. I was totally mezmerized...
Aunt B..we call that happy spot the " G " spot... "Growing spot " good to find one for it
Gordon
Well, Gordon, I'm happy to know that about the G-spot. ;) Much better than happy spot.. (Oh, I'm going to have fun with this one) lol. Thanks for the info.. I've been thinking about other plants, I just liked the verbena, it seemed to bloom great in part sun and it comes in colors to compliment brug blooms.. I thought about lobelia, it grows in sun or shade, but it kind of fizzles out in the heat of summer, and I'm not sure about it's nutritional needs. Impatiens? They like shade and will tolerate some a.m. sun...
Thanks for the info. I'll just go ahead and use the petunias then and the bloom booster fertilizer. I'm not too concerned about the petunias being shaded. 'Cypress Gardens' isn't that large yet. Just estimating, I'd say it has around 30-50 buds, if they all make it. It's about 2 1/2 to 3 feet tall, but doesn't spread out wide yet, as I'm sure it will eventually, unless I kill it first. One thing that surprised me though was the dark color of the leaf. I'm assuming it was heavily fertilized and quite happy. It was the only plant they had. I've always wanted a white Brugmansia and really really wanted 'Super Nova' but CGardens looks more ideal for me anyway. Small start, heavy on the blooms. If the Brug grows leaps and bounds this year and shades out the petunias, then no problem. They'll still bloom some and will hopefully look nice with the white brug blooms. I mainly wanted something to fill in the top of the planter and since I already had the petunias waiting to be planted somewhere...I guess I could still find something else at the greenhouse. ;)
Um... that's what I'd do... another trip to the nursery... to find something else;) .....for the brug pot.. and if you don't like it you'll have the tunies and more plants to tuck in somewhere.. (I'm yet to grow out a Super Nova, I've killed 2)... Logees usually carries them or you could probably find cuttings for trade this Fall,...(just trying to help, Glen:) Enjoy!
Good idea..another trip to the nurseries..All ways the best soluition... and you can always use the ones you have after the visit..if there's really nothing there that's calling to you..
here... there's two of my favorites I haven't even been to this year..on to Staten Island.then down into NJ....
The only thing I'd have to add is that Petunias attract the moths that produce a gazillion caterpillars.. (around here anyway) I will never plant petunias near my brugs again after the nightmare I had with caterpillars last year. BT did NOT help.. other than making the brugs drop buds.
Caladiums are great to underplant with.. no bugs, and they can handle all the fertilizer that brugs need..
I have underplanted with petuinas several times with no problem. I love to plant Million Bells ans snap dragons. I put my brugs away for winter and those snap dragons live right through the winter in the basment. As soon as I start to water heavier in the spring they come back to life. I have been enjoying the same snaps for three years.
Not worried about the moths. One of my goals was to create a small back porch planting for nighttime pollinators, hence the petunias, brugmansia, mandevilla, thunbergia, and plumeria in the containers. Don't know if moths really are attracted to impatiens, but they are doing so well despite the wind and cool weather this spring, they make a great groundcover planting to surround the back porch.
I like Alyssum in with them. Shallow roots, not too tall, shades the soil & holds in moisture & smells good in the daytime (like honey). It's pretty hanging down over the sides of the planter too.
Linda
I thought about the million bells, too raglady, no deadheading... and the snapdragons, too. I like it that they come back in spring..I had impatiens come up in brug pots over winter, and bloom- wind must have blown seeds in there. I didn't think the caladiums, alyssum or snaps would take the fertilizer.. so, now I NEED to go back to the nursery... (awww, shucks;) I went to Ace Hardware at lunch to get some tubing for my stock tank pond and they had nice impatiens, $1 for 4-pk... Naturally, I bought a flat (and 2 fuschia) and my tubing, of course.. but I did notice white alyssum and snapdragons...... it's right on the way home. Glen, if nothing else lures the moths, blooming brugs and moonvine blooms will. One of my favorite things is to sit out in the evening to enjoy brug scents and watch for the swarm to arrive. Camera ready, headgear for the dive-bombers... I usually let the cats have a few leaves, as a thank you for the show and I find them a different meal.. away from my plants (neighbors tomato plants are great "plate" to relocate them to. lol, I don't -they down even have a garden)
Nice picture AuntB. The Alyssum will reseed itself & it didn't seem to mind all the fertilizer.
Linda
Thanks Linda. My daughter and I "compete" for the best pic.. it starts over each evening. lol Sometimes I just point and click at random, there are so many. She doesn't like them dive-bombing so at some point, she runs inside, then soon she's back out with me. I'd never seen so many at once until I started growing brugs.. I think the scent must bring them from miles away.. ? Alyssum reseeding is great and I like the shallow roots part, too. (I didn't make it back to the hardware store, ....after work tomorrow.)
You get/take some interesting pics "B" :) I can't wait til I can get dive-bombed by the moths...better than those icky june bugs that were bombarding us last weekend!!!
Just "ME"...Jan
Hey Jan! Yes, junebugs are here now, too. I REALLY don't like them, they can just stay on the screen door, OUTSIDE. I'll take moths, anyday.
I like that photo AuntB, reminds me of days long ago when I'd actually grow tomatoes for the hornworm moth caterpillar. I'd always see the moths feeding on my wave petunias and lantana in the evenings.
Well, the brugmansia looks like crap now. We had some storms move through the area the other night and while we didn't get a drop of rain, the wind beat it silly. It's still green but most of the leaves were shredded. I was trying to get my plants inside as quick as I could but the Brug took a good beating as did a few of my bananas.
I ended up planting spider plant (Chlorophytum) and pink angel wing begonias in the planter with Cypress Gardens. It does look beautiful except for the brug. I'm sure it'll bounce back though. I can see little buds popping open already.
Have any of you planted marigolds under your brugs? I've heard that they attract beneficial insects that feed on aphids.
Someone recommended that I plant them with my tomatos for that reason. ANd I sure do need help with the aphids...
I'm glad you didn't lose it Glen. It always amazes me how quickly they recover. I like your underplanting combo, too! LoraB, I've not planted marigolds under my brugs, but that is a GREAT idea, and I happen to have hundreds of volunteers I could use. I've heard they are good to keep bugs away, though. I'll try them. Thx (because I STILL haven't completed potting and planting the initial nursery haul for this year, or my tender perennials wintered over in the basement) sigh, so much to do, here I am at work.
Well... underplanting here is a sport.. with no ground space.. everything is underplanted with everything else.. little thought to food preferences..on anything.. only sunlight .and then only at planting time.. the sport is ...it's like a battle.. Iplanted ahoneysuckle with another vine.. A variegated Pandora's vine...both invasive to some degree... so they are pitted (planted ) together.. may the strongest survive... oh but they both do well...filling in neglected space the other leaves.. brugs aresimilarly planted...newseedlingsgoinoapot with it'sgroundcoverrirght away...sothey have to push up to stay above the competition..
trailing verbena is popular here.. as is bacobia.. which does real well till the shading starts...but by then the relieffrom the heat is welcomed..
is this considered an underplanting.. if it is bigger than the brug..
Gordon
No, I would consider it co-planting LOL, but what i really call it is beautiful.
This year we have planted wave petunias under many of our brugs, so far so good, they are doing great.
Okay, it's been a while since I've posted here. It's easy to get caught up in things and not have time to post. I do browse, but that's part of internet life I guess.
I have to say I meant to post a picture of my brugmansias but well...see sentence above. hehe My 'Cypress Gardens started blooming exactly a week ago on Saturday. I picked the first bloom and took it to my parent's home to show them. OH MY GOD !!! BRUGMANSIAS ARE THE MOST BEAUTIFUL FLOWER IN THE WORLD!!! I have NEVER seen an actual live blooming brugmansia before. The bloom is so intoxicating. People who go by are fascinated that something could grow so large a bloom in IL. And that's just a few blooms. It's not like it has dozens of blooms on them. But right now 3 are open and about 4 more will be in a day or two. And that's not counting the dozen or more buds that are growing ever larger. Sorry Elephant Ears, but Brugs have one my heart. I also have a 'Goldrush' that I bought from Karchesky Cannas this summer but it hasn't bloomed yet. It grows differently than 'Cypress Gardens' (quite different actually and I love it's leaf structure) but it has set a few buds, just not sure if it's gonna bloom in time before frost gets here.
I'll post a couple of pictures, a few taken over a month ago and a few today. I'd say 'Cypress Gardens' right now is about 4 feet tall with 3 large branches growing up and spreading out. I never realized leaves would get this big either. Clearly local nurserymen who continue to offer the sickly looking variegated plants are doing something wrong. I staked it while it was little because I was afraid of a storm snapping it. Well, I think that saved it. I put in a more sturdy stake two weeks ago because of the weight of the plant's top. I sooooooooooooooooooo hope I can winter these suckers over in my home, dormant or growing.
btw, I appreciate everyone's advice and input, here in this thread and elsewhere in the brug forum. It really helps to see and hear of other's successes and failures.
Here's an updated pic of the brug taken this morning. My camera is not the greatest. Whites, reds, and yellows tend not to turn out well. I need better lighting I think.
Taken directly from my porch door...
I've actually cut several blooms from this side. I know I shouldn't but I have to show so many people. I'm just thankful it's blooming and growing so well. As you can see in the photos, the whole thing with underplanting turned out successful. The begonias are a perfect companion as well as the spider plants.
Okay the last for this forum before I head over to the tropical forum.
Great job, it loos beautiful.
Glen, I would go with plants that have shallow or small root systems. Spider plants look great, but their roots are large and massive. Getting rid of them once they get established is a pain.