What grows that "shouldn't"

Very beautiful plant and probably lots of work. Well done shelly! How does that plant do in its natural setting with the flowers hanging down to the ground. I would think that would attract many critters to the plant. Some of which are not good.

Thank you SD, not so much work, as aggrivation LOL.
They are trees in their natural state, growing 8-15 feet high. Mine is so low to the ground because I had to cut it way back, and the poor thing had to start over.
Here is a seedling, to give you an idea about the shape, when its not cut back. I have removed some of the lower growth, to get the umbrella shape, but this will give an idea I hope.

This message was edited Aug 30, 2006 11:27 AM

I've got some brugs, with one nice varieagate and a 'Frosty Pink' in bud.
I understand that (brug-wise) anything that is protected from actual frost will survive, so a zone five- not worth it at all. zone 8, maybe.
A friend of mine has a huge potted 'Frosty Pink' from last year. Its buds keep blasting when it dries out a tad too much, but the plant is a monstrosity for pot culture.

Shelly, please share you impressions on light necessities. Can you get too much, what is ideal for you?

Steve, you've missed out on a truly nifty tropical plant that is pretty easy to propagate and set outdoors as a patio plant. you ahve a patio, no? I think it is pollenated by either nocturnal giant moths of bats (in its native state).
K

I have heard Frosty Pink is such a great bloomer! The variegated ones add so much "pop" to a place. Have you smelled one yet Kenton?? Oh myyyy THAT is what keeps me hanging on LOL. They have so many different smells and shapes. I just love them, no matter how frusterated I get with them. They are all yellowing up now, I think because of the heat we had. They should be right happy now until I bring them in, with the cooler temps we have.

As far as light, I have tried MANY different places, first year I heard "They need/love full sun" (that was my 1st year trying anything but Iris ((they even came with the place LOL)) so I had no clue about our scortching sun). So I tried full sun, for about 3 weeks. I lost a couple due to them being burned so badly (after aclimating them in Spring).
I got smarter, and read up on Colorado's sun and put them on the SW corner of the house, with a huge shade tree.. they got morning sun, and some very late evening sun, nothing during the heat of the day. They did fairly well.
This year I tried some on the east side of the house, I thought morning sun maybe. These too have not done as well as when I had them on the SW corner with the tree, I think due to it still gets too hot. The shade doesnt come until about 2 pm, but no burning of the plants at least. Some also went on the west side of the house with Locust trees shading them. They have done fairly well.
The only thing I havent tried really is the north side of the house with much shade. I dont know how well that would work, so I will try the NE corner next year with one, so it will get some quick morning sun, and the rest of the day shade.

Here is another pink I had bloom late last fall in the house, oh it was wonderful smelling in here.

Great Whiskers, Shelly, is it named? Just great substance.

Your experiences sound like what I just figured out. I gave one to someonw who has kept it alive in full sun, watered religiously. But she forgot one watering and it fried in ahlf a day, regrowing from lower nubs. The leaves are small and internodes super-short. I think the plants are too busy sending water up to the leaves to have time to grow. My best (a 'Charles Grimaldi' looking one) in the dappled shade of a locust tree, and medium-decent ones like you said in East aspect. They suffer mildy from mites. I planted an 'FP' on a west aspect at the botanical gardens, and it has not grown tall, but richly. No mites. They must have cool roots it seems, as ones in pots completely fail unless the pot is painted white and there is mulch in the pot! Ones with greenmulches do best. I think there is some variation among individuals to make it all more complex... I think bright shade is the order of the day. North will be a good experiment. My hypothesis is that it will be ideal.
'Snowbank' grows leaves just faster than they burn. Much more variegated than pictures I see. White chlorophyll-lacking leaves just can't keep moist.

I just read that 'Miner's Claim' is a 'Frosty Pink' sport. Neat.

And the fragrance is ethereal, I agree. This is my first year growing them, but it's a ball.

Wow, this thread is so very on-topic. Great one, Shelly.
Kenton

This one is called "Sexy Lady" not a strong brugmansia at all, but it sure had great smell and tendrils on the one bloom I got. This is one that HATES any type of heat.
Miners Claim does look like a fun one to grow.
I have recently taken alot of the leaves off, hoping they would concentrate on making flowers, and maybe not having to water as much.
As far as spider mites, as long as the brug is outside, I can give a good strong spray of water to the whole plant and leaves, and it does great. Bringing them inside for winter is another story LOL. I have to pull out the big guns in fall. I will strip most of the leaves this year, put them in a cool dark room, and water maybe only once or twice. In the past I have done wrong, by not letting them go dormate. This makes the Spring growth terrible.
Gosh the things we do.....

Indeed...
I have no idea what I will do with all of my ensete this winter! And Brugs, of course...

I'm in far south Co. and am unfamiliar with these "brugs" you've posted on except for one thing...they grow wild down here, maybe not the pinks but a white type. It's as wild as hollyhocks down here.
My ? is, is it poisonous ? I've got 2 dogs and I'd hate it if they got hurt if I grew it.

ps we moved up here a year ago from San Antonio and LORD how I miss my lush lush greenery!!!! It was so hard to get used to all this brown stuff in winter! Any tips on Bouganvilla? I miss it so.Or Moon vine, I'd kill to be the only one in this tiny burge to grow it !!!!! :o)
thanks!!!
I'm down south between Pueblo and La Junta in Manzanola area.

Bouganvilla in southern Colorado?? You're in zone 5b, so don't count on it unless you cak take it inside in the winter. It's way too tender.

Any other ideas, guys??

Bouganvillea, I agree, is too tender and totally out of the question to overwinter- but it does like sun and heat, and thus is a very successful patio plant (moved indoors in winter). I don't think it even would work as a well-protected dieback plant in zone 7.

Mamafish; welcome to our fine new forum; neat eh?
You can get greenery in the winter- there are all sorts of leafy evergreens you will slowly get familiar with. Moonvines can be grown here, started as seedlings indoors in march or so and set out when nights are above 40. Here, they like full sun, lots of water, and rich soil.

What you have growing all over with white flowers is the Datura:
http://davesgarden.com/pf/go/355/index.html
At one time, it had a species called Datura arborescens (or something close to that). Once more of theses tree-types were found in South America, they were reclassified by themselves as Brugmansia.
The appearance differences are this:

Brugmansia : Down-facing flowers, can be taller than 6,' and hs banana-like seedpods. Come in white, pink, yellow, and orange.
Datura: Up-facing flowers, no taller than 6,' spiky seedpods. Come in purple, white, and yellow.

Brugmansia are a tropcial that can be rescued from frost by taking easy-to-root cuttings.
I have one blooming now and Will post a picture when I'm home.
Kenton

What do you think of this?:
http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/653279/

I'm stuck, but it looks like it is staked and in a landscape setting.
Maybe a giant hanging basket of geraniums, I don't know.

Bahhhh I hate it when I come to links that MUST be subscribed to >:-(

mamafish,
I sympathize with your missing the green in the South. I did too for my first 6 years in New Mexico. Then I got a chance to move back south. I only lasted two years. I forgot how much I loved the dry air, the rural atmosphere, the sense of freedom and spaciousness both in the environment and in the people. No high heeled shoes, no wet sidewalks without rain, very few bugs, no white gloves. I beat it back to New Mexico as fast as I could and have never considered leaving for long since. I still enjoy trips back to the South and the fresh fish and sea food, but I would hate to have to live there again.
The west sneaks up on you.
I have a bouganvilla which I bring in each winter. It does pretty well if I put it in a window with direct sun -- west in this house. Only this year it was almost totally eaten by a pack rat. But luckily I trapped the rat before it ate the whole thing.

Trust me, Mamafish, that mere $15 (which, granted, may be a lot for some of us) will be more than worth it. I didn't know what I was missing before I subsribed.

I agree with JamesCO the $15 for Dave's Garden is the best money I've spent in a long time.

oldklingon

So a person can see all pictures full size- the only reason I joined. But certainly not the benefit that I enjoy most thesedays.

Here is something I wrote I'd post long ago:
Brug. 'Frosty Pink.'

(Edited to add: If anyone wants this, please D-mail me.)

This message was edited Sep 23, 2006 10:19 PM

Your brugs are beautiful. I concur that the $15 has been more than worth it and I have only been a subscriber for a few months. Today I photographed a caterpillar on my grape vine, posted it to the Bug Identification web site and had an ID in less than an hour. Probably less than 1/2 hour. Where else can you get such personal information?

What is involved in growing a brug? They are beautiful, but aren't they huge? How big a pot do they require? I saw them growing outdoors in Hawaii, but they were around 6 ft. tall and about 4 or 5 ft. wide. Are yours that big?

Nope, I'll cut mine to a manageable size for next year, but here is that one blooming:

thats purdy! makes me want one now and just think of the smell! come to think of it, I never have, whats the fragrance like?

Intoxicating. Nighttime.

Gee, that's smaller than my bouganvilla used to be before the rat attack. That might even be doable. Do they like direct sun? or shade? or something in between?

In-between.
Somewhere there was discussion about their light preferences. PlantMadness was most informed about that. She manages to grow them in full sun, albeit not as well as part.
Bright shade is what I setteld on- even east-ascpet seemed to sap them enough they had mites, but I only tested one variety that way. I'm sticking to the shade of my trees- but with bright ambiant light- next year.
Indoors, they want full sun, and gobs of water in or out.

Where do they live naturally?

beautiful shot K!

I think all Brugs are from South America.

OK, just want to drag you all away from your brugs a bit-- is it reasonably possible to grow Japanese Painted Ferns in Denver (z5), with adequate shade, and 1" of water per week. Inquiring minds really, really, need to know.

Tah! Did you not see them all over DBG? Silly girl.
Athyrium nipponicum pictum.
I've given them much less than that water, and they survived. Didn't grow, but survived.
I think they are the most solid fern for our climate, in my experience, and I've killed a lot of ferns...
Kenton

I *did* see them at DBG. DBG has a staff of minions who, for all I know, individually water each japanese fern with an eyedropper and sing them traditional Japanese lullabies at night. Needless to say, that is not in my budget...

Trust me, they don't need Japanese Lullabyes, Jen Xaio Peng seems to work for mine.

Just water them a bit, with richer-than-poor soil, eh GreenJ?
Kenotn

I'm going to try one next spring, thanks for the advice!

I'm trying one this year in a pot on my balcony. Check out this piece. If it grows in Vermont it'll grow here. He says it's hardy to Zone 4. http://www.uvm.edu/pss/ppp/articles/jpfern.html

I'm not concerned by hardiness so much as water consumption. If it can't be x-xeric at least most of the time, it's history.

I am pleased to learn about ferns growing in the west. When I was a kid in the south you didn't dare plant them for fear they would take over your entire yard. I bet they are more controlled here. I think ferns are lovely and I am hoping one can consume the fiddle heads which are delicious.

Don't think its going to be xeric, greenjay.

I grew up w/ ferns in the South too and would LOVE to have them again, theres just something magical about them IMHO but you just dont find them @ walmart or home depot and thats the only source I have :(

mamafish68, don't forget the internet. I have ordered trees over the internet and had good results. I can't imagine that ferns would be any harder to ship.

Hey MamaFish- most of one of my friend's ferns came from Wal-mart. Leatherwood Fern, Cinnamon fern, bareroot. I got my best ferns (Jap painted fern, Autumn fern, Holly fern) from Lowe's. A local center had Christmas ferns (another good one here with enough water, evergreen) The oddballs I had to go to Oregon for.

One fern I strongly recommend not enven trying is ostrich fern. I did it several times, and each a waste of time, Just maybe, if a person had a completely windless, tree-shaded, fountain-adorned and well-watered courtyard. Maybe. They windburn and snap in the wind. If I had to guess, they are one of few plants I've met that REQUIRE humidity!

I have done some "accidental testing" of xericness on ferns, so if anyone is interested, mail or ask me which ones that are nearly killed...

OK folks, I am getting some brugmansia seed in a trade. Anyone here tried sprouting the buggers? I will be growing them *for* trade, as I have no intention of overwintering them in my bathtub.

They are pretty easy actually. You can use the Deno (I think its called?) method, in moist paper towels, on something warm. You can use rockwool, on something warm, or you can use plain old potting soil, on something warm. The key is warmth underneath.

I personally peel the seeds. They will come with a brownish cork, and that peels off relatively easily. But you can just plop the cork and all in whatever you use.

The trick is, moist, but not wet. I bake my soil when I do seeds. The fungus gnats have taken more than their fair share of seeds from me, so this trick was handed down to me. Or you can run boiling water through the soil, but baking seemed easiest to me.

I use a clear plastic container with a lid to make a greenhouse effect, warmth under, and lights above. Once the seedlings are a decent size with at least 2 sets of true leaves, I pot them up tot he red plastic drinking glasses, and then larger pots from there.

They are so rewarding from seed. You just never know what you will get.
What cross are you getting? This will be great fun for you!!

Here is one I was lucky enough to get from seed, that just recently bloomed inside. The house smells wonderful.