Angel Trumpets

Mottled leaf / White Flowered Variety

Angel trumpet (Brugmansia) is tropical plant native from Venezuela to Peru (USDA hardiness zones 7-b to 10). Plants have shown to be surprising hardy outdoors in zone 6-b in protected sites. 

This beautiful shrub, often trained as a tree, may reach heights of 6-10 feet before cold weather arrives in the fall. It is a member of the Solanaceae family which includes tomato, potato, petunia, nicotiana and other great garden plants. 

Angel trumpets are highly prized for their enormous fragrant trumpet-shaped flowers, some 10 inches or more in length. The exotic flowers emit a strong lemony scent over the evening hours. Blooms are pollinated by moths. Flower colors range from white, orange, yellow, and pink. Some varieties exhibit variegated foliage.

If you live in a northerly area, purchase angel trumpet in early spring and grow the new plant indoors to get it well-established. Move it outdoors after the threat of frost has passed. Plant angel trumpet in a large 12-16 inch (or wider) container in well-drained potting soil (media). If you live in a mild temperate climate, plant directly into a garden bed in a well-drained soil and keep well mulched. You may want to place the heavy container on a dolly to move it around to different locations of the garden.

This fast growing plant demands lots of water, but it fails when over-watered. Keep soil moist and let soil dry out between waterings. Fertilize monthly with a water-soluble fertilizer such as Miracle-Gro®, Peters®, and Schultz®. In the summer, when plant growth is more rapid and most blooms form, feed every two weeks according to package directions. Cut back on fertilizing in fall and do not feed over winter.

In northerly areas, bring angel trumpet(s) inside as outdoor temperatures drop below 40°F. If you garden where winters are mild, protect by setting poles around it and wrap with milky white plastic. You may opt to cut back entire plant to the ground and mulch heavily to protect the crown during winter.

Occasionally snip off old spent flowers, and spur new growth. A container plant can be cut to the ground for winter. Beware: sap from this plant is highly poisonous when ingested by humans, pets, or livestock.

For a large selection of angel trumpet hybrids, shop on-line at Plant Delights Nursery in Raleigh, NC.

Pink variety

Ligularias Like "Wet Feet"

Ligularia 'The Rocket'

Ligularias (ligs) are outstanding summer flowering perennials  Two species and numerous varieties are grown for their bold foliage and showy flowers. Ligs have one special need: consistent soil moisture through the spring and summer months. Don’t attempt to grow either one of these awesome plants unless their water needs will be satisfied. These plants prefer wet, boggy feet (roots).

Their roots must be kept constantly moist so that leaves don’t wilt or "faint". Even after a summer shower, ligs may still go through a brief spell fainting in the mid-afternoon due to summer heat and water loss from transpiration.  By early evening the leaves recover fully hydrated.

Bigleaf ligs (L. dentata) and narrow-spiked ligularias (L. stenocephala), aka "golden ray", grow well in temperate climes (USDA hardiness zones 6 and 7). Tropical species are listed under the genus Farfugium  (zones 7b -10). Favorite cultivars include: 'The Rocket', 'Bottle Rocket', 'Britt-Marie Crawford', 'Desdemona'.

Ligularias (ligs) thrive in part day sun or light shade all day. Site them nearby water features like within the splash-zone of a waterfall. They grow exceptionally well along woodland creeks.
When properly sited, the foliage remains blemish-free season-long. Disease and pest problems are rare if growing conditions are ideal. Deer and rabbits rarely trouble them
.
Planting in containers: plant a single crown into a 3 to 5 gallon size container filled with humus-rich potting soil. To restrict most water loss, line the bottom of the container with plastic shopping bags. This reduces irrigation needs that saves on your monthly water bill.