The bushy moonflowers, or Daturas, are closely related to the Jimson weed or thorn apple that is a field and pasture weed in many parts of North America, but their foliage is not as unpleasant smelling and their flowers are very fragrant. Like Jimson weed, though, all parts of the plants are poisonous. Several members of the family have been used as sources of the drug scopolamine, so remember to take proper precautions if there are children or pets in your house. Datura metel has smooth stems and leaves and D. inoxia is pubescent (softly furry). They have huge, upward-facing trumpet-shaped flowers that may be white, yellow, lavender or purple-tinged white. Most are single, but some may be double, appearing to be a flower within a flower. They have tender perennial cousins called Brugmansias that are vines. Their flowers, though similar, hang down instead of facing up. If you are lucky enough to have one, you could summer it on your patio to join the show.
The seed of Daturas is not always easy to find. Catalogs seldom have it. Ask around. It is probably available through the local garden crowd, especially the older members. After the flowers fade and fall, a thorny seed pod (the "thorn apple") develops. When dried, it can be harvested so the seed will be available the next year. The seed pods actually look pretty good in dried arrangements. They are not as hard to handle as you would expect since there are no thorns on the stems. In the north, you might want to start the seed indoors early, so that you will have up-and-going plants when it is safe to set out your bedding plants. In more southern areas, zone 6 and warmer, it may even become a self-seeding annual. The beautiful 6 to 7 inch flowers open in late afternoon and live for a night and part of the next day. Their big trumpets shine above dark foliage in the dusky garden as their fragrance draws you near.
