Growing Brugmansias in
Albuquerque?
People visiting in tropical climates are frequently in awe of
the large shrubs or small trees with magnificent pendant blooms hanging by the hundreds from
the branches. The flowers may be yellow, pink or white, and some are very fragrant
especially in the evening.
These
are tender perennials that seem beyond the possibility of being grown in zone 7
such as here in Albuquerque. Many legends have been developed about them among
which is the story that sleeping under such a "tree" would be fatal. They at one
time were included in the same family as the Daturas such as the notorious
jimson weed and they are just as deadly if one were to ingest any part of them.
Most of the species originated in South America although the Daturas are found
in North America in the southwest.
The flowers may be as much as twenty inches long from stem to
trumpet tip. Being a member of the solanum family
many
of the Brugmansias can be rooted easily from
cuttings as they have root primordia all along the surface of the stems. Those
roots will show up as small bumps along the stem. I have had very good luck
growing large plants from cuttings taken at almost any time of the year that is
warm enough and I am currently experimenting to find out what the maximum size
may be. So far I have rooted cuttings that are as much as 24 inches long.
To learn more about them there is a web site put up by the
American Brugmansia and Datura Society (ABAD) that can be found here
Click here: index
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These
are tender perennials that seem beyond the possibility of being grown in zone 7
such as here in Albuquerque. Many legends have been developed about them among
which is the story that sleeping under such a "tree" would be fatal. They at one
time were included in the same family as the Daturas such as the notorious
jimson weed and they are just as deadly if one were to ingest any part of them.
Most of the species originated in South America although the Daturas are found
in North America in the southwest.