How to Buy Brugmansia

Brugmansia flower.

Brugmansia, also known as Angel's Trumpet, is a small tree with spectacular fragrant orange, white or yellow blooms. The foliage is dense, and this 15-foot tree is a good choice for a specimen plant in USDA hardiness zones 10 to 11.

Choose the Right Size

Brugmansia is a fast grower.

Standard Brugmansia grown outside in Zones 10 to 11 will reach 35 feet. Grown in greenhouses or overwintered inside in pots, Brugmansia can overgrow its space. Buy a dwarf form that can be kept at four feet when potted, like 'Inca Sun,' if space will be a problem.

Choose Named Cultivars

Different cultivars have different flower characteristics.

To be sure you get the bloom color and plant characteristics you want, buy a named cultivar. Named Brugmansia cultivars are bred for definite characteristics.

Buy From Reputable Sources

Grocery garden center.

Buying Brugmansia from a reputable nursery insures that you get healthy plants and allows you to take advantage of professional advice on care. Nurseries often carry more than one Brugmansia cultivar. Specialty nurseries devoted to Brugmansia will offer the widest variety of cultivars.

Buy Healthy Plants

Healthy plant with good leaves.

Buy plants that are vigorous. Avoid wilting or root-bound plants. Make sure the plant has no obvious insect damage. Check the backs of Brugmansia leaves for eggs and webbing of spider mites. Avoid plants with distorted or brown-spotted leaves.

Buy and Plant at the Right Time

Plant outdoors in spring or early fall.

Buy Brugmansia for planting outdoors in spring or very early fall to give the plants a chance to acclimatize and put on growth. Brugmansia can experience die-back during late fall and winter so avoid buying during this time.

References

• Univ. of Florida IFAS Extension: Brugmansia spp.
• National Gardening Association: New Dwarf Angel's Trumpet
• North Carolina Univ. Extension, The Gardener's Dirt, June 2009: Spotlight Plant
• Royal Horticultural Society: How names work
• Mississippi State Univ. Extension: Selecting Landscape Plants, page 5

Resources

• National Gardening Society: Night-fragrant Plants
• Brugmansia Growers International: Tips for Growing Healthy Brugs
• Washington State Univ. Extension: Angel's Trumpets are 'Heaven Scent'
• American Brugmansia and Datura Society Inc: Register of Brugmansia Cultivars and Checklist of Names in Use
• Marantha Nursery and Landscape: The Brugmansia or Angel's Trumpet