Charles Grimaldi Brugmansia


These are pictures of a Charles Grimaldi brugmansia that I used to have growing in the yard.  It reached its peak about two years ago.  I watered it frequently in the beginning.  It grew amazingly fast from about 3 feet tall to the size of a small tree (about 10 feet tall) in just 4 years.  It was overloaded with large yellow trumpet-shaped flowers 3-4 times a year.  The flowers were extremely fragrant.   Their perfume-like fragrance could be smelled from inside the house on summer evenings when we had the windows open.  It was the centerpiece of the yard. 

One of main problems I had with brugmansias is keeping snails off of them.  The snails love eating the leaves.  Putting copper tape around the trunk helps keep them at bay.  Another problem was the flowers tended to droop on warm summer afternoons when the plant was in full sun, even after a watering.  The brugmansias that I planted in afternoon shade tended to hold their shape better.  Also, Charles Grimaldi needs a lot of pruning to maintain an attractive shape, because it grows so fast.

During the freeze of January 2007, the temperature here dropped into the mid 20s, and my brugmansia froze to the ground.  Only a few outshoots returned after that.

 

 

July 14 2008 10:13 pm | Brugmansia