Garden Photo of the Day

Celebrating Angel’s Trumpets

Angelic flowers from a tropical shrub

Jennifer Hubbs, who gardens in southwest Florida, sent in these photos of a beauty blooming in her garden! It is a beautiful change for those of us who are in the middle of snowy winter right now.

I love to share my garden when there is such a beautiful specimen. Check out the bee enjoying the flowers! I’m hope you enjoy the blooms too.

Angel’s trumpetsAngel’s trumpets are flowering shrubs and small trees in the genus Brugmansia famous for their huge, flaring, trumpet-shaped flowers and rich fragrance, especially in the evening. There are seven species in the genus, all native to tropical South America. This looks like it might be the species Brugmansia versicolor, though there are many hybrids between the species as well.

A closer look at the beautiful blooms, with a bee coming in for a closer look. In their native habitat, most brugmansia are pollinated by moths, but clearly this bee is willing to give it a shot!

In climates where there is little frost, brugmansias grow to large shrubs covered with blooms. If you have freezing temperatures, they will get frozen back to the ground, but as far north as Zone 7, you can overwinter many brugmansias successfully by covering them with a thick layer of mulch in the fall.

Fat flower buds promise more blossoms to come. Some varieties of brugmansias flower more-or-less continuously, while others tend to produce lots of blooms in a big flush, then rest a bit before putting out another flush of flowers.

If you live somewhere too cold for brugmansia to overwinter outside, they can be grown in large containers and brought inside for the winter. A cool spot, such as a basement or unheated garage, will keep them mostly dormant through the winter and ready to come back into growth and flower when you move them back outside in the spring.

 

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Comments

  1. Camamum27 01/02/2020

    Hi Jennifer! I am a big fan of angel trumpets as well. I bring in my pots and take cuttings every Fall here in Connecticut.
    I love the color of yours, thanks for sharing.

  2. cheryl_c 01/02/2020

    Beautiful exotic blooms! Thank you for sending these photos.

  3. btucker9675 01/02/2020

    Such a beautiful color!! Brightened a dreary day!

  4. nwphillygardener 01/02/2020

    Yes, what a treat to see this photo series showcasing the sublime form and color of this plant. Given their scale, anyone who can ignore these blossoms and not take in their beauty ought to resolve to add MINDFULNESS of the moment to their 2020 agenda.

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    simplesue 01/02/2020

    Those are fabulous, and that little bee going for the big blossom makes me smile! Really nice photography, can almost smell the air in Florida just looking at them!

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