Brugmansia In Chicago

Last year I received various Brugmansia seeds in trades from other gardeners. The seeds were very easy to germinate once you soaked them and removed the cork like covering of the outside. I germinated the seeds using the sandwich bag method and I also germinated these seeds inside of seed starters I made out of used plastic soda bottles. You can search my blog and read entries on both of them if you're looking for information on germinating seeds for your garden.
 


Brugmansia are commonly referred to as Angel's Trumpet because of the dramatic trumpet like flowers. These plants are native to subtropical areas of South America and are sometimes confused with Daturas, because they have similar looking flowers and are both members of the Solanaceae family.

The seeds that I was given and germinated only grew to about 17 inches, except for one seedling that I planted in the ground. That seedling grew to about six feet in my garden here in Chicago and the main stem reached seven inches in diameter before it died with our first frost. The seedlings that I grew in pots didn't suffer such a tragic fate because I brought them in and overwintered the plants inside. Mine are just now starting to come out of hibernation.

If you can find them for sale in Chicago garden centers and have space to overwinter them inside I can't recommend this plant enough for a gardener looking for something a little different. Care has to be taken to in keeping this plant, especially out of the reach of children and pets because all parts of the plant are toxic and people have been known to abuse the mind-altering properties. They're easy plant to grow from seeds and can be propagated from cuttings in water.

There's a good entry on Wikipedia on Brugmansia that you should read if you're interested in this plant.