Brugmansias

[TobiWallis]

Can anyone offer advice on growing Brugmansias please? I know there's some divided opinion on whether they're Brugmansias or Daturas but, as I understand it, the bell shaped flowers of Daturas grow pointing upwards and the flowers of the Brugmansia point down. Is that right?

Anyway, I tried growing Brugmansias many years ago but had no greenhouse or conservatory, so lost them every winter. Any advice anyone has would be most welcome, both on growing and on propagating these spectacular plants. I now have both a greenhouse and a sheltered patin in the SW of Wales, so a mild climate, if more than a little damp at times!
Thank you

 

[ChanellG]

As I understand it, they can freeze, so if you can't offer them winter protection you may not have any success. Perhaps you could try a dwarf variety and bring it indoors? I've been told by brugmansia enthusiasts that the plants are easy to root from cuttings. We never keep them for very long in the garden center, unlike the datura (maybe it's the nickname devil's trumpet?), but the climate here is very warm so it's easier to grow them.

 

[TobiWallis]

Thanks ChanellG. They are indeed quite easy to root from cuttings, but alas not so easy to keep alive! I managed to root quite a few last time I tried - the usual thing, round the edge of a pot in gritty compost - but as soon as they starting rooting the tops started to go mouldy. I think they prefer dry heat, and yet they grow in some quite humid environments. Maybe I'll try again with some new plants in the Spring!

 

[ChanellG]

Thanks ChanellG. They are indeed quite easy to root from cuttings, but alas not so easy to keep alive! I managed to root quite a few last time I tried - the usual thing, round the edge of a pot in gritty compost - but as soon as they starting rooting the tops started to go mouldy. I think they prefer dry heat, and yet they grow in some quite humid environments. Maybe I'll try again with some new plants in the Spring!

This time of the year we have less humidity in the air, but I found last year that my cuttings did poorly (needed to be misted more) when the air started to change. If your cuttings are going moldy the problem is more than likely in the soil. Cuttings need soil that is barely moist, but not wet. If there is too much moisture they will start to rot.

 

[LouisFerdinand]

Purple Angel Trumpet Plant