Mum's Brugmansia Bed

My Mum bless  her, as well as my wife Angie has had to put up with my enthusiasm of growing Brugmansias. She always gets given some Brugmansias to grow in her garden every year but sensibly rations my gifts. I've always wanted for her to enjoy them for their colour and scent, and this year it all came together nicely. 

Here's her raised bed , made from an old filing cabinet. 

Also in Mum's raised bed is her Brugmansia named Goff's Girl. Its in the picture but just dropping into its flowering position. So as they say on Tv, here's one I made earlier.

Just because 2

Snooty Lady was sent to me many years ago by Edna, after a played a part in naming her.
Edna was looking for a suitable name, and due to her almost regal way she held herself in bloom, I noted she was a Snooty Lady. The name stuck with Edna and I can't tell you how proud I was to have a hand in naming her.  Isn't she a cracker !

Another gem in the garden was my dabble with Inca Sun with El Dorado. It turned about to be a smaller version of El D  with its same sunny deposition . Not sure I'll ever name this, but it a keeper for me as its so cheery.

Another splash of sunshine came from DS Little Sun which I experimented with this summer. It has a low growing sprawling nature and it was sometimes difficult to look up into its blooms, so I though Id have a go at growing it in a hanging basket . Even I thought I was maybe pushing boundaries but it turned out beautifully . Lesson is to do it anyway, its only going to go two ways.  

See for yourselves

Suzies Pink, named for for sister is a great bloomer, and has a great colour and attitude.
Hope to post more pictures of her next summer, this picture reminded me of a raspberry sorbet ice cream against the blue sky.

and finally my first yellow Aurea pictured against the palms and bananas.  I'm always happy to see it flower and smell that amazing talc scent.

Just because..

What can I say, its winter and I'm having withdrawal symptoms from not being in the garden.
So I am looking at some of my many pictures taken this year and thought it would be good to share a picture or two.

First up is Archangel, a rolls royce of a Aurea hybrid

Secondly, this is Whitney sent over to me by my good friend Alvin last summer as a bare cutting. It rooted so easily and what a surprise she turned out to be,  flamboyant and highly scented with a spicy marzipan tone. 

Next is Grand Marnier, an old classic and still one of the most reliable and fragrant of singles. This picture was taken round my good friend Terry's garden. Much to my envy he grows them big and blooming .

Rudy

Welcome to the newly registered Rudy,

This another seedling that I've grown on from my Buddy Dan from his cross from M.E.W x Marley .

This was the first of seven , that produced a multi coloured bloom of Yellow and Pink , with a hint of green within the bloom. For the second year it bloomed well and displayed itself with long lasting horizontal blooms. So it was the right time to name and register him. 

No surprise that I once again struggled with a suitable name, because it means alot to me to grow and own them. So he is named Rudy for Dan, as this is his Brugmansia forum name, and as I've now learnt that it was the name of one of Dan's much loved past dogs.

Sylvanian Sunshine

I was sent this cross of Rothkirch x Herbstzauber from my friend  Edna , and years later I  was asked to name this ray of sunshine.

So I racked my pea like brain for a worthy name, and finally came to a decision that stemmed from where the hybrid was from and the people involved in Pennsylvania . 
So it was named Sylvanian Sunshine  for Alice. Edna and Dan.

Son of Lucifer

This cross was grown from seed from a combination of Lucifer x Goldness Kornett x Californian Sunshine. So in essence Ivory, Golden yellow and another deep yellow, so what did I expect ?  Maybe a golden yellow with Lucifer's horizontal bloom. Happily it is almost an exact replica of Lucifer, a classy Ivory single from the stable of Alice Harris. 

Infact I once owned Lucifer, given to me by Alice and she was a beauty. Unfortunately  Alice lost her original Brugmansia, so it was only right that she should be reunited with her named cross. So across the pond went my plant, and a cutting taken for me. Lucifer arrived safely in Pennsylvania, only for my cutting to die .  Dem the breaks ! But luckily for me the above cross has come full circle for me. 

It has class in spades poise, habit and scent.  

Red Sanguinea x Arbovulsa

As we are gearing up for xmas, our Red Sanguinea x Arbovulsa has produced 6 blooms, all a deep red. It doesn't mind the cool temps and it has been a real cheery treat to see it happy and blooming at this time of the year.

Zuni in the morning sun

Now in the midst of October it almost time to put away the brugs for the forth coming winter, but while the sun shines you should enjoy them all the more.

Now this one, Zuni just dazzles in the sun and I couldn't resist whipping out the camera for another picture.  

  

M.E.W Little Beauty...registered.

Out of seven seedlings grown from my buddy Dan Carter's cross of M.E.W x Marley, this little beauty grabbed my attention from the beginning.
It has great form, huge twangers, great colour and scent, it's only requirement is placing it in semi shade. Full sun burns the flower, but its a small price to pay for such a bloom.

This is M.L.B blooming in October, paler but still oozes class.

Earlier in September, the colour was intense

The name is just a bit of fun, a play on words as I remember thinking, you little beauty when I saw it bloom for the first time. So I put M.E.W for " you" as a nod of respect from where the cross gets her looks and that's the name.   Sophisticated I'm not. But I'm very proud to register her.

We done good Dan!

Sarah S ..shape shifting!

I've posted a few pictures of Sarah S, but it's a special brug that shows its colour even on a greyish October day

Just look at the colours within the bloom, and happily there's a reason I painted the fence blue.Every colour looks good offset against it.

  

Fruit Salad

This double is from America from hybridizer Elizabeth Fichtl who has created some beautiful hybrids. I must confess I've had mixed feeling over this Brug and over the years she would grow well, produce buds, and then they would fall off. But in turns out that she's just fussy and like any lady just needs to be treated well. This year in the cooler months she has bloomed for months.

Here's why she's called Fruit Salad..just look at the colours

A double Pink

Here is a double pink I received from a gentlemen in Germany many years ago.
I was led to believe it was a Aurea single, and it was the first year, but subsequent blooms showed it to be a double.   

No matter, as its a very nice one , as it's almost horizontal . The bloom is very waxy, which means that it is long lasting. Another bonus is the scent which is citrus like.

As yet it doesn't have a name, but deserves one. 

Marr Marr

It gives me a great deal of pleasure to register this Brugmansia as Marr Marr.
Like I've said in the past, every Brug I have has a story, whether bought, grown or 
received from a friend.

Marr Marr is the name given by my friend Dan Carter in memory of his late sweet golden retriever Marley. Dan did name a brugmansia for her, but alas the plant didn't survive its over wintering. But Dan did manage to cross Marley the Brugmansia with his fantastic cross of M.E.W . He kindly sent me some seeds of the cross and I grew out 7 seedlings.  So we hatched a plan that if anyone of them was worthy  then we must name one for her.
So Marr Marr was her nickname, and I'm really proud to register this brug in her memory.   

M.E.W x Marley 6

This is number 6 of 7 seedlings I've grown out from seed given to me from my good friend Dan. It did though have a valiant effort at flowering late last year but November was never going to show its true colour. So happily its bloomed earlier.

All seedlings are from the same seedpod, just different seeds,but all different in character and appearance.
This one because of the sheer number of buds pushing outwards had made the blooms face upwards, to 45 degrees. 

It has a inner white corolla inside and again a great sweet marzipan scent ,and a prolific bloomer.

Hybridizing , don't always work out..but it's always a surprise.

Hybridizing isn't an exact science  , some might say it is..but the truth is that nature does not always bend to your will.  But you can try...

So you grow in the hope that you can perhaps influence nature. Tweak it maybe. Sometimes the results can be amazing.

This particular cross was made from  a mix of colours, a yellow and two pinks. So you think it might be the one with the stronger genes that will win through. Sometimes, more than often you get a white bloom. This isn't a total surprise, and the white gene is strong.

This one grown out by my good friend Terry  is far from being a disappointment just being a white bloom. It has a strong scent, a bloom that lasts for days due to the firmness of the corolla.  If you have ever smelt the stalwart Grand Marnier, this has that scent and is a smaller bloom, so in some ways to some a improvement.

A good white Brugmansia are often under appreciated, but like white roses in the garden, they seem to glow  illuminated by the moonlight.  

Rioja..a taste of late summer

Being a coldie, my wife's Rioja likes the cooler climate of early spring and late fall/Autumn in which she is happy to bloom .

This is the first bloom of this season and darkens to a rich red with yellow veins.

A tale of two Zuni's

One plant , two different blooms, both beautiful in their own right.

This very Brugmansia is in contention for an AGM ( Award of Garden Merit) by the RHS .
Even if it doesn't happen she is a star in the garden .

  

These are the first blooms of Zuni and really do change according to the conditions, they can be pale yellow to almost orange. Sometimes with a different coloured centre, other times a separated skirt or stuffed.  

All this makes it a pretty special Brugmansia.

Rosalie , a lady with attitude!

Rosalie just has attitude!  From eye catching twangers

To nose in the air

to a horizontal bloom with poise and elegance .

   

I plan to use her pollen to add to other pink blooms. I hope to add her attributes to add structure and her horizontal blooming habit into brugs that are more pendant in nature.  

Angie Leigh...doubly amazing !

Firstly a confession,

I'd love to take the credit that my cross was the result of my amazing hybridization skills and imagination , but in truth it was a bee. 

It just so happens that at the time a single yellow called Buddy and a orange double called Dola Goldentrumpete( pictures on a earlier thread) were both in flower. I know so because sadly I keep a journal of what's budding, blooming and anything brug related like where a plant is located and how well it's doing. Like most plants, Brugmansias thrive in certain conditions, so its good to know for the following growing season . The journal is also great bedtime reading , not that it's boring you understand. For me it puts my thoughts back into the garden at the end of the day . 

Anyway, the resulting cross and seedpod has so far yielded 3 registered Brugmansias. 
All different, two doubles with different colours, and a orange single. 

This is Angie Leigh

Angie Leigh is a yellow to tangerine coloured double, with a waxy corolla that lasts for days.
The scent is also amazing, being a strong sweet marzipan . It's a smashing hybrid, and I hope to get her out there by taking cuttings ( a subject for another day)  so more people can enjoy her too in the future.

Raspberry Ripple or Neopolitan ?

Yes we're talking ice creams..well colours anyway.

This is a seedling that I've been lucky enough to grow out from my buddy Dan across the pond. In Fact it is one of 7 seedlings of the same cross that I have. 
I'm not obsessed you understand, well maybe a little, but its such a great cross and each seedling has been different. I will of course, elaborate as they bloom.

Back to Ice Cream, as a kid we loved both Neopolitan with its stripes of individual flavours and colours,  and who doesn't love  Raspberry Ripple?

So looking at this cross, M.E.W x Marley No 1 it has the very same attributes, and seeing it flower just takes me back to my childhood treats.

and I can't go without adding my love of backlight on a Brug to highlight it hidden treasures.

DS William George registered

This is cross from my friend Didier Silvestre that I have grown from seed to mature flowering plant in the past two and half years.

Happily I have grown a flowering cutting which is now registered with Brugmansia Grower's International, named for my late father William George, for my family it will be simply called Bill. I think its a worthy Brug.

The main plant has been flowering since May  this year, and just continues to dazzle in the sunshine.

Goff's Girl

Here's Goff's Girl, originally from Costa Rica that found itself to me.

The hybridizer Patricia never named this cultivar, but asked me to name her, so I did for my Mum.

 It's a very feminine bloom for a single , nice colour and great scent. Mum loves it!

Archangel again, but just take a look!

Archangel has flowered again and appears to be enjoying our summer heatwave in Blighty.

It's not an exaggeration to say that on form she's a Rolls Royce of a Brugmansia, and has a classic shape and form . 

   
Has she any faults, yes ! The leaves are less than perfect, but who's looking?