Starting Standard (Topiary) Brugs

Last summer I saw a post about starting new plants from large branch cuttings. I have taken small cuttings each fall to start new plants because I don't have the indoor space to dig up and bring in the monsters I grow each season.

The article gave detailed instructions and, frankly, made it sound like it might be difficult. Being a lazy gardener, I decided to try my hand at it, using my own, less detailed, guidelines.

Here's a report on my experience (so far):

I cut back the large (4'-6') branches from my plant (no, I didn't clean my saw with alcohol or use some exotic tool - I used the same bow saw I use to cut limbs from my bushes and trees and shorten the trunk on my Christmas tree). I stripped the branches of all leaves and bloom buds and put them all in a 5 gallon bucket, filled with tap water, in my basement (no additives, no recirculating pump, just a bucket of water in a dark corner of the basement). To keep them all upright, I bound the bundle (10 branches) with electric cord and checked them every week or two to make sure they still had water.

Around Christmas time, I noticed root sprouts on the branches and tried to figure out how to plant them in my basement, and keep them from falling over (or being toppled by my two young cats, who are VERY curious of everything new in the basement).

This week, I decided they needed to be planted before all of the roots grew together and the whole bundle had to be planted as one. I pulled them apart and rigged a system to hold them upright by running string from a beam overhead to the branches. I planted them in large pots (about 2-3 gallon size) in front of windows and now they are on their way.

The photos below show the progress - here is the 'mother' plant. I cannot figure out why the photo is on its side - it is upright in my file when I open it to my desktop. Consider me technologically challenged.





This message was edited Apr 25, 2009 7:21 AM

This is what the bucket of branches looked like when I separated it this week.

Each of the branches had a good start for roots.

I put them in individual pots in front of windows with string tied to the overhead rafters to hold them upright.

I'll post progress photos as we get close to spring and I move them outdoors. Then I'll need to figure out how to give away 7-8 Standards - there is only so much room in my garden!

thanks for the essay. how many weeks in the basement in water? is basement heated? your branches look great!

I like the idea of supporting the branches by being tied to the rafters. I LOVED the planter your Brug was in.

That is Truely Beautiful!!!

I cut the branches from the 'mother' plant in late October (before a hard freeze), so they were probably in the bucket of water 10-11 weeks before I planted them last weekend. They had lots of roots by the end of December, but it wasn't until January 25 that I got around to planting them.

My basement is cooler than the remainder of the house, but warms up during the day when the sun shines in - as you can see, I have full windows all around (deep window-wells).

Wowzers!!! Great ideas....beautiful "mama"

"I LOVED the planter your Brug was in."

Thanks, bettydee! It is one of a pair of planters I bought from an antiques dealer in upstate New York (near Corning). They are 7' tall, cast iron and the two parts (pedestal and urn) together weigh about 1,200 pounds. I had concrete foundations with brick caps built to hold them and it took a crew with a BobCat to mount them on the base, so I figure they're here to STAY (in previous seasons I've grown brugmansias in smaller urns and pots on the patio, but every year a strong wind will blow them over).

lee, that brug looks majestic in that fancy planter.

Lee, it's nice to see you. Your planter is beautiful and the underplanting is perfect for the brug. Just beautiful!!

the picture is beautiful only it's hard to tip my head to look at it lol

The underplanting is a red lantana - I thought it would trail (like the lavender and yellow lantana varieties I used the year before), but it didn't (the branches were too woody, I think). The red lantana attracts butterflies however, and I love the color.

I discovered by trial and error that there are upright lantanas and trailing lantanas. The reds, oranges and pinks are usually upwardly growing. In fact, I have a Dallas Red and a noid yellow growing as trees. I don't know if yellow is upwardly growing only. There may be a trailing yellow, I don't know for sure. White and my Lavender Swirl are trailers. However, if you let it grow upon itself, it tends to acquire a shrub look, more like a mound, I guess. I let my Lavender Swirl grow this way and prune to look like a shrub. here is a pic of it, however it wasn't pruned when pic was taken as i didn't want to cheat myself of blooms. http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/showimage/186862/

your pic is gorgeous.

That is a nice bed of blooms - in my zone (5B), these tropicals are considered annuals. I love the multicolor (I think it's called 'Confetti') but it's definitely an upright variety. I used it in an urn several years ago and it bloomed beautifully, but didn't trail.

Progress Report:

Last night I went to the basement and was overwhelmed by the sweet, familiar scent of Brugmansia in bloom. The blossoms open in the evening and give off a tremendous fragrance that fills my garden in the summer.

It seems the branches I started as standards last October and planted January 25th have put out some blooms, in spite of my having stripped off all the leaves and blossoms when I cut them from the mother plant. Now they are standing in front of the windows in my basement, struggling to get some light, and blooming! They are also putting out a few leaves, which I'm sure they will lose when they go outdoors in the bright sun.

If you acclimate them to the sun slowly, they will keep their leaves.

Yeah, that what I do with my hibiscus and ficus trees that have spent the winter indoors. When I bring them out in the spring, I set them in the shade for a week or two to get used to the brighter light before moving them to full sun. I'm not quite sure what I'm going to do with 10 topiary standard Brugs - I have room for a couple, but I may be looking for homes for the rest!

Warm weather has arrived and I'm bringing all the standards I started in the basement outside to harden off in a shady bed.

Two are going into my large urns in the garden, so I planted them directly into the urns. I gave them supports because they are so vulnerable to wind. In a few weeks, after they are established, I'll pull out the supports. As you can see, the urns are so tall I need to use a ladder to plant them.

What a wonderful success.. and you have a beautiful yard! Those planters are impressive.

I wish I could get a brug to grow that tall! Lack of humidity in my area stunts them horribly. I am lucky to get a few blooms. I do have a versipeach that is about 3 ft now in its second year.

Tammy, I had that same problem last year. Have you thought of using misters. I can't remember where I read that some one uses them with great success. If I have the same problem this year, I just may go out and buy some even if I have to unclog the misters every so often.

I have a free standing mister but the water bill can get pretty high also. I hand mist my plants several times a day when I am at home but 5% humidity is so darn low it evaporates almost immediately. Even with storms just to the east of me by about 20 or so miles, the humidity is only up to 9%.... it got as low as 4% today ... last night and early this morning it was a very humid 35%! Did not last long once the sun started warming things up.. temp got up to 90 today.

Here's the latest - all ten of the branches rooted and were brought outdoors about May 10 to harden off. I have traded/sold all but two, so if anyone in the Kansas City metro area is interested, I'd love to find homes for these wonderful plants. I have 'training wheels' on them to keep them from blowing over in the wind.

Very nice!

I must admit I did a lot of what you did getting starts, I also did NOT use a cleaner for my cutting tool, I just decided if they were that particular then I did not want to raise them but I found they do pretty well, I also had mine in the basement, but it sure is work carrying them up, then putting outside, I try to cut down every year by giving most away but then I end up getting more from friends, and I start all over again, but must admit it is fun to see what kind of flowers you will get, single, double, or triple, and the color never seems to be what they are supposed to be. but that is the fun of raising BRUGS.




Doris

Lee, you have certainly simplified the way to over winter large brugs. and I must try your system come fall for some of my plants. How smart of you to only keep cuttings that have y'd in order to insure flowers. Your urns are outstanding and the kink in my neck to see the first photo attests to that. Lol.

Tussee

LeawoodGardener, I'll be driving to S.E. Kansas later this month (from Florida) for a visit to family... if you have any of those beauties left I'd sure love to have one.

I'm not having any luck rooting my brugs yet...I've been taking cuttings of mine at lengths up to 6 inches...this last batch I trimmed off all the leaves and after 2 weeks of a soak in the water, the leaves have actually grown back. ((pix shows bloom color)).

Hi, I work in downtown kc by Crown Center and the Depot and would love to have a "start", if you have one left.

I was just being dazzled by the one in your beautiful pot, when I saw the offer.
Joyce

July 10 - here is how one of the plants in my large urn look today - a few blooms, so far and lots of buds. I took off the support stakes a couple of weeks ago - I think the brug has completely filled the urn with roots.

The second urn doesn't get quite as much sun, so the brug there is not yet in bloom.

Wonderful looking combo! You'll have to take a photo to share with us when your Brug is in full bloom.

Love the picture.
High winds during the storm today, hope mine didn't get shredded....haven't looked.

My 2 foot brug cuttings that have been sitting in rain water for a few weeks have started roots!!!! YIPPIE!!!!! I will be on vacation for a couple of weeks, so when I get back, I'm going to pot them up and keep my fingers crossed!!!!

The rain and wind didn't damage anything in my garden. Here's another of the standards I started last winter. This one just went into the ground two weeks ago, so it's still on stakes to keep it upright in the wind. It's just starting to bud.

I sure wish I could leave mine out all year, but I have to dig mine up for the winter, it's a lot of work but I realy love these darned brugs.

I know - but that's the beauty of growing tropicals - you can have something from another zone for a short while, but you either have to bring it in or let it freeze and replace it the next year. Brugmansia are such fast growers, I just take cuttings each fall and start over the next spring (a'la this forum about starting standards from large branch cuttings).

I think I will have alot of cuttings. I have one that has gotten really odd shaped for some reason, sort of growing at a strong slant, it would take up way too much room to overwinter the way it is, I like the unique shape kind of like a bonsi, except huge....LOL.....I am like you, glad they grow fast.

Lee I hope you don't mind but I turned your picture, it is so nice I wanted everyone too see it upright *S*



Doris

Hahahaha!

Thanks for making me upright!