i was wondering if it is impossible to grow them in my zone . can some one give me a overview of the plant care and growth habit . ive also only seen pics of the flowers . i havnt really looked that hard because i thought i couldnt even grow them . is there any one that grows them in zone 6 ?
hi . ive never heard of a brugmansia until daves garden
Iris, welcome! They are easy to grow given what they need. They are heavy feeders when they are actively growing — feed at least once a week with a complete fertilizer that includes micro-nutrients. They are also water hogs, but need a well draining growing medium because they can fall prey to root rot. In your zone, you would have to keep them in a pot or dig them up before the first sign of frost and take them indoors to overwinter. If you have a well lit basement, they would overwinter well there. Brugs exhibit two types of growth: vegetative and reproductive. Grown from seed or from a basal shoot, Brugs will grow straight up until they form a "Y". The formation of the "Y" signals the beginning of the reproductive phase. This is when they begin forming flushes of blooms about every 4 - 6 weeks apart. If you acquire cuttings from above the "Y", the resulting plant will bloom as it grows. That is why you see very small plants with a huge flower hanging from it.
The most commonly grown cultivars come in various shades of pinks, white, yellows and peach or apricot. True reds are still elusive although a few come close. Purple and blue are not seen in Brugmansias. B. sanguinea is a tricolor reddish orange Brug, but it is one most of us can only see in photos because it detests temperatures above 80ºF. I've killed quite a number of healthy 1 foot seedlings almost overnight when out Texas weather exceeds 80. Lilac Brugs are also rare because they too don't care for hot weather.
I hope you have a large space to grow them because once you get bitten by the bug, you won't be satisfied with just one. Have you taken a look through the Marketplace? There are also a few good sellers outside those found at the Marketplace. There are also some very generous members who might be able to send you some cuttings. I have already sent out any extras I had.
Hi Iris and welcome to Burgs
I’m up to 15 burgs now and will have to bring them inside for the winter. Several of us here live in the lower zones.
Donna
ooh goodie i want to try it .we have a big garage that is well lit . my dh actually sold his old broken down truck ,that he swore he was gonna fix up some day, so that i could have tha whole garage to overwinter things. and he built me grow lights so it will be plant heaven
That will work very well for your brugs in the winter. They are very tempremental, so when you do find a brug, make sure it has the sunshine just right. Most do not like the full sun all day long, so keep it in a pot, and move it around your yard till it gets happy. I have all of mine on the east side of the house. they get the morning sun, till about 1 in the afternoon. Then shade the rest of the day. Keep them watered, but not soaking in in it. and fertilize once a week. You should do just fine growing them.
Linda Kay
i have alot of spots that get morning sun and afternoon sun and complete shade and full sun lol . i guess im lucky i can have a range of plants . oh how big a pot do i need .
Iris, you will eventually have to have a large pot, but if you start off with an unrooted cutting or even one of those 6" wonders as sold on e-Bay, they need to start off in small pots. I root my cuttings in water. The newly rooted cuttings go into the equivalent of a 4" pot. When roots have filled that small pot, I move them up to a gallon pot. They get moved up to a 25 gallon pot slowly over a few years. The idea is to give the plant room to grow, but not overpot, because rootless soil tends to retain too much water and this tends to rot roots. I've not had a problem with them being temperamental. I think they are surprisingly resilient and fairly forgiving. Long before they keel over dead, they will let you know if they are unhappy with enough time for you to correct the problem. Here in Texas, the sun is very hot and harsh so we need to provide midday and afternoon shade, but many northern growers have their Brugs in full sunlight without a problem. So I would suggest you try Linda's method and move the Brugs around to find the best location for them. However, you won't need to do that until they are well rooted.
iris - BE WARNED. What no one has said yet is as soon as you get your first blooms, you will be hooked and will want thousands more! :) Speaking, ahem, from experience, of course!
They are year-round plants when left in the ground in my zone (dear Lord, I've lost my marbles ... does that mean annual or perrenial?). Anywho, let's just say they are hardy in my zone. But I was a dork last year and strung up Christmas lights on mine in a not-so-fashionable style that my neighbors got a kick out of. My attempt was to keep them warm, which I found out I didn'[t have to do ... no snow here, EVER. But hey, my Brugs are in the corner of my yard and started out at 3 feet tall last May; they are now over 10 feet tall each and growing over and providing beautiful blooms for my neighbors on 3 sides ... al of which have commented how lovely they are and how the scent is intoxicating.
You will love them - they are so much better in person than in pictures. And yep, I'm as proud of mine as any mother would be. Of course, the other "DG Bruggers" (or "Hotties" as coined in another thread) are extrmely helpful and will enjoy helping in your addiction. Welcome! And post pics of all of your Brugs!
yes, I too was new to brugs just a few months ago... I now have 22 ~ i lost one ;o( brugs and just had my first flush of blooms on one of them! Be warned they ARE addicting! kind of like iris are addicting! lol! I am lucky that mine are able to stay out year round here ... I believe that makes them Evergreen perennials ? but I too have been know to have rattled marbles :oD or maybe I'm just intoxicated from the Brug scents?
im scared. i have plant addiction problems. im asking for trouble dabbling around in here!
lolol! I know what you mean... had four iris last year... this year I ordered 150 different ones to plant this fall for next spring.... now to just find an acre of land somewhere.... tee hee!
iris, you stuck your foot in here, and now you are hooked. I went from zero to 13 in just 2 months now, and I have my eye on many more. Just gotta make room for them.
Welcome to the addiction of brugs!
Linda Kay
agree - brugs are like potato chips, can't have just one!
once you have a yellow, you'll need a pink, then a double - then...
well now i have 3 lol a very generous dger offered to send me 3 rooted cuttings for postage to try out . i can only hope to make someone that happy with my plants .
Oh Iris, luckey lady, you're in trouble now. Bit by the burg bug, you're going to love it. Good luck with your new babies.
it was funny i told my mom about them , shes my gardening partner in crime , and she wants one. of corse i want to keep them all to myself , but i cant do that , especially since they were given to me in such a nice way lol. and if she ever found out i didnt share with her , i dont want to think about that one lol
Yes Iris, be a good DD and share with mom. You'll get her hooked too, then she will get more burgs. Nobody can have just one. tee hee
Hey Anjl, I know where there is a good acre of land in RI if you want to plant your Irises here. hee hee.
yah that way she can get different ones from me and we can trade cuttings lol .like daylilies we went in on a co-op and she got some and i did but we will both end up with double because we will split them .
That's the way to go, share the blooms whenever you can.
Hi Donna! RI is too far from DGS :( or I'd be there in a heart beat! bet its cooler there than here :(
I plan to share cuttings from my babies in the fall... I'll do cuttings and root them, then offer them to newbies for postage... just like Wanda is doing on her Iris.... and what lots of people did for me a few months ago when I wanted A brug! lol!
I cant wait to pay it forward!
oh im getting a newbie iris pack ! my garden is being built by dgers . lol i will share also .
iris, thats how MY garden came about :o)
Generous DGers and DG Co-ops! lol!
...DD & DGS in Grammys Garden :o)
Thats so pretty . it will be a few years before my plants are mature and full looking i love that.
lol, no it wont take that long.... this was a clay dirt patch in Feb of this year!
I did lasagna beds...and planted right in them . 4 months later... that picture was taken!
we just did the same for momas garden...and ALL of her new plants all came from DGers... very few store bought fillers :o) but her garden should be all filled in by fall.
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/865712/
edited to add link! lol!
This message was edited Aug 9, 2008 8:27 AM
i loved that thread so much . i have to show my mom . it reminded me of us . the other day the whole fam was over there mowing and i was dividing iris and dh was putting down milky spore for the japanese beetles . it was fun . can you explain lasagna bed . i think i have the idea but im not sure
OMG Anjl, you did a fantastic job, the garden is just gorgeous. Your DD is beautiful and DGS is just adorable. I need to look more into the lasagna beds. If you have time to explain them I’ll be reading along.
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/search.php?q=lasagna+bed+&submit=%28%3A+Search+forums+%3A%29
Here is a link that will help you with the lasagna beds.
Linda Kay
lol, thanks Linda Kay! I bought a book on lasagna gardening... cant remember the author, as gave book to mom...but its pretty simple to do, just layer brown and green and brown and green and bloodmeal and peat etc. I layered mine 18" high, parted and planted right in the layers. as it breaks down, the beds flatten back down again... now mine are about 3" high and its only been since feb. works great and hardly any work at all!
Thanks, Linda Kay and Anjl I'll be doing some reading.