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Brugmansia
Angel Trumpet's, in general, are not all that difficult to grow. Although this plant is generally found growing in the Southern US or in South America, they can be grown in containers with much success. They are grown and enjoyed because of their large trumpet - five painted flowers. Of course, the plants prefer a hot climate, well drained soil, and a sunny, sheltered spot. They are best grown as small trees or shrubs. Their leaves are thin, large, and soft. They are evergreen or semi-evergreen. During the growing season the plant should be well watered. Propagation can be done from tip cuttings in the spring or summer. It is important to note all parts of the plant are narcotic and poisonous.
Angel Trumpets can be enjoyed in cooler zones in containers and wintered over in greenhouses, cellars, or heated garages. For the most part they are a tad pricey but worth the cultivation and ownership. The blooms are delightfully wonderful.
Some questions from Emily's mailbox:
A note from a reader: I was just on your web site and thought I would let all who visit know that my son recently just consumed three (angel trumpet) flowers and was on a very bad trip with them. Apparently the word has gotten out about these flowers and they are now on the market as a drug. This is being sold to children as something similar to LSD. Please post this on your web site and let people know to guard your plants. This can be a very serious drug if consumed. Please WARN PEOPLE!!!! Thank you ,Springfield Illinois
A reader from UK writes:
I bought a three foot plant a year ago,
which is now four and a half feet, for only £5 ($10 ish?) - bargain
A note from a reader: Hello, Emily,
Q: I would like to propagate angel trumpet cuttings, but I am unsure of where to make the cut. They are very tall now and in last night's storm they have split in half leaving half of the small tree resting on the ground but still connected and growing. I did not know if it is too late to make what you called tip cuttings and how you go about that. Or would it be wiser to separate that part and pot it for the winter. We are in zone seven in northern Georgia. Please help as I do not like to throw things away that are overgrown. A: Angel Trumpet are propagated by semi-ripe cuttings. Late summer (now) is actually the best time. Soft-tip shoots of current season's growth. Cut just below a node where the leave is coming out. 3-4 inches long. Remove the leaves from the bottom third. Dip the base of the cutting in rooting hormone (from a garden store) and insert into a standard cutting mix (garden store) or equal parts peat (or soil) and perlite. Don't let the leaves touch the soil or each other. If they develop, roots then fertilize every two or three weeks. Don't expect 100% success (i.e. don't' do just one). Q: I am in mid-central California (Ventura County) -- and someone just gave me a cutting from a Trumpet Plant -- which I think is: Brugmansia versicolor (peach): or Brugmansia versicolor (pink). How can I propagate this plant? How can I get it to start growing? Right now, I have the cuttings in a glass of water, hoping they will root. Also, could it be planted in a large pot vs. the ground? OR should I plant it in a smaller pot (I read on your site that it might like to be root bound to bloom) and then transplant later?
You might try dipping it in root hormone and then planting it in a standard cutting mixture. Lacking that, just plant it in some good soil and hope for the best. Use a smaller pot initially to see if it gets going or, just put it in the ground in a sunny spot. This plant is supposed to grow in zones 10-12. You are probably in zone 9. I live in northern Florida on the border of zones 8 and 9 and we have one growing in the ground. So unless you get a hard freeze it will probably do ok in the ground. If you do get hard freezes then put it in a pot and bring it in the house or garage to go dormant in the winter. If it does grow, it should get big enough to have a bloom this summer, yet. If it has seeds, collect them, plant them in the early spring, and see if you can get some to grow that way. Much more successful than cuttings. Lots of water once it gets growing. Every day! Q: I live in Los Angeles about five miles from
the sea. I found my Angel trumpet does not grow well. Leaves turned
yellow, I wonder if leaf is yellow, does it mean I watered A: I hate it, but gardeners always say, "yellow leaves mean that you
either underwatered it or overwatered it." Q: I wintered over my two Angels Trumps (Conn.) Success. We have had a lot of rain and muggy hot weather. The plants look AWFUL!! The leaves are turning yellow and dropping off. What can I do. One of them has blossoms coming but even the small new leaves are yellowing. HELP. A: Probably too little water. Q: I live in Ontario Canada and have three angel's trumpets. Two are doing beautiful and the baby is growing and looking healthy but no blooms yet. I can not keep them outside in winter so my question is: can I bring them inside in the fall and keep them in the living room by a sunny window? Will they bloom inside in winter? A: Yes, you should be able to winter them over indoors. Just keep them moist, not giving them as much water as in the spring-autumn when they are guzzlers and need a lot. In winter just keep them from drying out. They do need a dormant time of the year, so they should not bloom in the winter indoors or out.
Q: Hi, I recently was going to purchase an
angel trumpet flower but the seller said it was very poisonous. Can you
please tell me if this would apply to animals? I have no small children
but do have 3 dogs & would not want to hurt them. A: Yes, all parts of the angel trumpet are poisonous. Our favorite poisonous plant site for pets is http://www.sniksnak.com/plants-toxic.html which has a poisonous plants and non-poisonous plants page. I hate to say this but many, many plants are poisonous. We've had many letters from people who tell us horror stories. Mostly dogs. We have two cats and have never had any problems with our cats and all the plants that we have, indoor or out. We once purchased a house from a couple that had a bunch of dead
azaleas in their back yard (the dogs kept eating them) and, yes, they had
one dog grave. Q: Hi, I have acquired stem cuttings of
an Angel's Trumpet. They have been in water and
have rooted well. I live in Greenwood SC. When is a good time to plant
these cuttings outside?
A: Late spring or summer is best.
A: The seed pod should have turned brown to harvest. Germination may take up to 6 weeks. I started three different kinds of Angel Trumpets and they are worth the wait. Remember this is a tropical plant and for enjoyment in NY you are correct it will be an annual but once you get the baby seedlings going give it as much 'hot' locations as you can. They will bloom the first season. The plant can be 'wintered' over in a container in the house. Or, take cuttings and root in a jar of water and then pot up again.
A: The datura on my site will return next year only by seed....I am in zone 8b-9 and it does not winter over for me ....sometimes grown in the ground in a very micro-climate it will 'winter -over '. The angel trumpets also need winter protection because they are tropical. Even in my area, I give them winter protection. You can collect the seeds (from the mature brown pods) and start a plant by the end of next January. Sowing them individually or by cuttage and starting a plant that way. Q: Hi, I am confused, to say the least. I've been reading all the wonderful articles on the Datura page and see the plant referred to as both Angel's Trumpet, upright and downward facing, and recently read an article in my local paper referencing the Datura as being true Belladonna/Deadly Nightshade. I disagreed with my paper's report so jumped onto your website to see. Can you shed some light on my confusion, please? (This is the first year I've had a Datura just "show up" in my garden: upright, white, low growing, and, just to confuse me, within close proximity to my potted Angel's Trumpet - downward facing - AND my Trumpet Vine! A: Indeed this is confusing. Your call.
Q: I have just acquired an Angel's
Trumpet this year (fully grown at about 4 feet tall) but it seems to
show no signs of flowering in the near or distant future. I have it in a
large container in a sheltered sunny spot - I live in Seattle WA. Any
suggestions or recommendations? |
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Never
before have I wanted a plant more than the day I won an Angel Trumpet,
known as the Charles Grimoldia.
A reader from Alaska writes:
I live in Fairbanks, Alaska and my daughter bought an
Angel's trumpet (Datura). We put it in the greenhouse and it flourished.
It had incredible blooms and the seed pods dropped to the ground and
sprouted all over the place. At the end of summer, when we cleaned the
greenhouse out, there were lots of seed pods that got shoveled out to the
compost pile. In the spring they popped up everywhere like weeds. Of
course, they die off in the fall, but have been coming back every year for
the last 5. Hard to imagine them growing in such a cold climate, but they
sure do. We love them.
My Brugmansia are treated the same way, i.e. after dying back the roots
are left in the ground with no winter protection, and every spring they
grow back from the rootstock and within 3 month they are about 10 to 12
feet tall and start blooming. Blooming happens in intervals of about 3
week from one flush of blooms to the next flush and lasts until the first
frost, when the above ground parts of the plants die down.
A: We propagate the angel trumpet (brugmansia arborea and brugmansia
veriscolor) all the time, but are not 100% successful every time. 
Q: I have an Angels Trumpet and this is my
first season with it. After the flowers bloomed and fell, a seedpod
formed. The pod is currently green and round with sort of like thorns on
it. When can I remove these from the plant in the hopes of using the seed
next spring? (In case my Angels Trumpet doesn't make it through the New
York winter). Do I wait for the seedpod to turn brown first? Do I just let
it dry out over the winter in a paper bag?
Q: Is the Datura featured on your site the
same as the angel trumpet? If yes, will it return next year? I am in
Michigan and have the angel trumpet in white and purple.
The key word is TROPICAL... the trumpets need to be
protected......stretching the zone on this plant may or may not work,
depending how severe your winter gets. Zone 8 is borderline for the having
them grow outside during the winter.