Successfully Growing Angel Trumpets

For the night garden, Datura's and Brugmansia's are a necessity. These beautiful fragrant plants, commonly known as Angel Trumpets open up after dark and remain open until the sunlight hits them the next morning.

There is no sight like that of an Angel Trumpets heavy with blossoms. The perfume that the flowers release is an extremely sweet, intoxicating scent. These plants will bloom year round if given the proper care.

Keeping Your Angel Trumpet Healthy

Hailing from South America, these beauties prefer damp conditions with warm days and cool nights. Angel Trumpet's are in the Solanaceae family, which is the same family that tomatoes, potatoes and petunias are in. However, a word of caution: Angel Trumpet's are extremely toxic.

Once you have acquired an Angel Trumpet, the next step is to keep it healthy. First you will need to make sure if you choose to grow yours in a pot that the pot and the plant are both well balanced so the wind cannot knock it over. The limbs of these plants break fairly easily and although this will allow you to multiply your collection, the trick is to grow your Angel Trumpet into a large size tree for maximum blooms.

Remember to leave enough room at the top of the pot to thoroughly water it. They need a lot of water and can handle being watered daily in the hot summer months.

Be sure to fertilize your plants with a good fertilizer at least every two to three weeks so your plant will produce a maximum amount of blooms. A commonly used fertilizer such as Miracle-Gro, Peters, or Andersons 17-17-17 is a good choice. If your plant is in the ground, a fertilizer of 15-5-10 can be used.

To boost the foliage on your Angel Trumpet, a good dose of ammonium nitrate (34-0-0) applied in early spring and late summer, is best. Use approximately three tablespoons for every two gallons of water that is applied. Ironite can also be applied once every season with the exception of winter.

Another suggestion would be to give your plant some shade during the hot part of the day. Angel Trumpet's prefer full sun, but the heat from the sun can result in slowed growth, sparse or no blooms and leaf loss.

Providing Optimal Growing Conditions

If you live in zone 9, these are long-lived perennials, but if you are in zone 8 or lower and the roots should freeze, they will die. The best thing to do is over winter them in a sunny window or prune them back and store them in a cool, dark place such as a basement.

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