Ava Grace and I pose under the Brugmansia blooms as dusk for maximum fragrance.
Brugmansia is a genus with seven species of flowering plants in the Solanaceae family- same as tomatoes! All seven species are known only in cultivation as they are listed as “extinct in the wild”. It is suspected that their decline in nature is due to the extinction of some animal which previously dispersed the seeds. But human cultivation has ensured the genus's continued survival.
Best grown in sunny areas of Zones 7 and warmer, Brugmansia develop woody stems and can grow into trees, shrubs, or die back perennials depending on where you live. Here they are die back perennials and grow to 8’ tall annually!
The large, pendulous, fragrant flowers give lead to their common name of “Angels Trumpet” which leads to confusion because Datura is also commonly referred to that. Datura have big white blooms and a lower growing habits, though they are both in the nightshade family.
Regarded as one of the most fragrant and most hardy varieties, Brugmansia x cubensis 'Charles Grimaldi’ has been reliable for a decade for me. this variety is named for a famous California based landscape designer and has an interesting story of its hybridization.
Brugmansia are considered one of the most toxic ornamental plants because they contain tropane alkaloids. Don’t eat any part of this plant- it’s easy to avoid!
They are easily grown in a moist, fertile, well-drained soil, in sun to part shade, in frost-free climates. In col climates they can be grown easily as a container plant, being brought indoors during the cold months. They begin to flower in mid to late spring in warm climates and continue into the fall (autumn), often continuing as late as early winter in warm conditions. Here they only bloom at this time of year and usually are the sign that the first hard frost is near. That’s why it’s important to go out and enjoy them while you can!
The blooms are most fragrant at night, and I make a point to go out and stand under the flowers while breathing deeply and reflecting with gratitude. Meditation can take many forms.
