Worth it on every level

Saturday morning there were 21 open flowers and 6 fat buds about to burst on this potted brugmansia. I left a second, bigger potted brug to take a temperature hit and it will move directly to its winter location without a sunny stopover. 

It's not easy growing tender beauties such as brugmansia where winter temperatures dip way, way below freezing and spring doesn't really get under way until May. But then you get a flush of bloom like the one this week and all the hassle is worth it.

This potted brugmansia came in one or two weeks ago when the weather forecast made it clear we were flirting with damaging temperatures. It bloomed earlier this summer and had just set another round of buds. The plant typically drives me crazy -- the foliage always tends toward the chloratic side no matter how much fertilizer I give it, and inside it drops most of its leaves into a messy pile on the floor. The leaves that remain are a magnet for spider mites. But it MUST come in for the winter or die so I haul it in (it's heavy!) and let it go dormant by not watering, cutting it back a smidge and putting it in the dark closet under the stairs. And it will get there, and stay there until next April or so, after these flowers are gone.

Meanwhile, it makes a statement in a corner of the dining room. The fragrance reminds me of a load of laundry fresh in from the clothesline. It's especially nice at night when the blossoms fully open and the fragrance wafts throughout the main living area. 

I love this plant. I can't imagine my home without it.

Brugmansia bloom watch update

I've been waiting a long time to see this brugmansia bloom again.
All those seasons of carting it inside and outside with the occasional anemic blossom. Finally, a sturdy, robust, beautiful blossom with a fragrance
that is fresh and pure.

Let the celebrating begin. First blossom opened Saturday morning and more are on the way. I hereby proclaim this week sillydoggarden Brugmansia Bloom Week.

Interested in giving these plants a try? Here's a primer from Brugmansia Growers International.

The plant holds its blossoms so they face down. This is looking up into the flower's innards. Gotta love that green striping.

Brugmansia bloom watch

The waxy bud of the brugmansia is nearly ready to open. The foliage continues to fight off the spider mites, even after spending the summer outside. We've been fortunate to have a warm September; it's given the plant time to bloom before I have to bring it back inside.

Brugmansia is a hands-down showstopper. The blooms are huge -- 6 inches or more -- and the fragrance is intoxicating. A few blossoms will easily perfume a room.

My success in growing brugmansia (also known as angel's trumpet) has been mixed. But I keep trying. I manage to keep the tropical plants alive in this cold climate by faithfully trotting the pots outside in summer and back inside in fall. The plants are a magnet for spider mites and it seems that every year they turn ratty-looking and refuse to bloom no matter how much soap solution I douse them with or how much liquid fertilizer I give them.

But this year, this year is different. The big brug in the herb garden is loaded with buds and several are just opening. I should have blossoms this weekend (knock on wood!) The even bigger brugmansia on the deck also has buds, although fewer than the other. So I am now officially on Brug Bloom Watch. There will be major celebrating when the first blossom opens.