Brugmansia (Formerly Datura)

An essential flowing tropical plant for your garden! Brugmansia is a small genus of seven species and a member of the Solanaceae nightshade family. Also commonly called Angel’s trumpet, they are tropical plants native to the Andes in South America, where they are found on slopes that have warm and humid days, and cool nights. 

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Brugmansia Blush Pink

Brugmansia is easily identified by its pendant, trumpet-shaped flowers. Furthermore, Brugmansia is traditionally a large plant ‘in  the wild’ that can reach heights of over 15 to 20 feet when grown in perfect weather conditions, but can be grown as indoor or exterior plants in the UK through the summer. 

Also, they are long-living plants, but they are not totally hardy and can be damaged by frost, hence in colder regions, they are grown indoors or in greenhouses. Special overwintering care is needed for Brugmansia plants grown in the ground. It is possible to get them through a mild winter in the UK, by allowing them to drop leaves and them heavy mulch around the base, but ideally it’s best to keep growing somewhere warmer through the winter. 

Lastly, Brugmansia is listed as a toxic ornamental plants with all parts of this plant being toxic to humans, dogs, and cats.


What is a Brugmansia?
We can’t talk about Brugmansia without talking about its flowers which are the star of the show. Brugmansia flowers are diverse, ranging in size from 4 inches to 24 inches in length depending on the species. 

Occurring in a variety of trumpet and funnel shapes, they range from singles to quadruples and can be seen in more ‘shredded’ forms as well. Their colours and fragrances vary as well, these bold flowers may occur in shades of yellow, white, orange, pink, and gold with fragrances described as non-existent in some species and others as lemon, lily, musk, mint, jasmine, citrus, and more. 

Some species of Brugmansia bloom through the active season, others bloom every 6 to 8 weeks, and the rest may only produce flowers in cool weather conditions. 

The leaves of the Brugmansia plant that sit on semi-woody and multiple branched trunks are large, with coarsely toothed margins and covered with fine hairs. They grow in an alternating pattern on the stems and are 4 -12 inches long and 2 -7 inches in diameter. 

Often described as large shrubs or small trees, they can reach heights of 15 to 36 feet when grown outdoors in the right weather conditions, but indoor plants are trimmed and restricted to reach heights of only 4 to 15 feet.


How to overwinter Brugmansia?
Winter care: Most Brugmansia plants can withstand warm and moderate temperatures but are not hardy enough to withstand frost. When temperatures drop below 4 degrees Celsius, container plants should be moved indoors, and plants grown in the ground should be cut down and stored indoors.

Where to buy Brugmansia in the UK?

How to care for Brugmansia?

Brugmansia is an easy plant to deal with, easy to grow and easy to care for. It requires little attention and can survive well on its own. The right growing conditions for any species of the Brugmansia genus are discussed below.

Soil: Brugmansia doesn’t make a fuss about the type of soil it grows in, the most important feature of the soil should be its drainage abilities. It can grow well in chalk, sand, or loamy soil that is kept consistently moist and prefers rich soil, but you can also supplement with fertiliser. 

Light: This genus and its species love the full sunlight. In hotter regions, it should be given a bit of shade, especially in the hot afternoon sun as the high temperatures may reduce the bloom abilities in some species. Ideally, 6 to 8 hours of daily sunlight will produce the best flower blooms.

Water: It is a thirsty plant that needs to be watered often and heavily. Note that they don’t like to be waterlogged so you have to create a fine balance of keeping the soil consistently moist and still not overwatering it. Root rot will quickly develop when it is grown in waterlogged soil.

Pruning: Pruning Brugmansia trees is not required except if the plant has overgrown its storage space. You can also prune Brugmansia to the ground after autumn to prepare it for overwintering.

Toxicity: All parts of Brugmansia and all its species are poisonous and toxic to humans and pets; cats and dogs. Ingestion may create a hallucinogenic effect which causes hallucinations, hyperthermia, urinary retention, and death. 

Fertiliser: They are heavy feeders and should be fed with a liquid fertilizer once a week. 

Problems, pests and diseases: A common issue with Brugmansia is dropping leaves caused by overwatering. Spider mites are a common pest, and root rot may occur due to overwatering.

Common Species Of Brugmansia

The Brugmansia genus has 7 species, namely; Brugmansia arborea ‘common angel’s trumpet’, Brugmansia Aurea ‘Golden angel’s trumpet’, Brugmansia sanguinea ‘Red angel’s trumpet’, Brugmansia Suaveloens ‘Angel’s tears’, Brugmansia vulcanicola ‘Vulcan angel’s trumpet’, Brugmansia x insignis ‘Pink angel’s trumpet, and Brugmansia Versicolor ‘Peach angel’s trumpet’. Each of these species is further divided into hundreds of cultivars, varieties, and hybrids. 

Brugmansia ‘Charles Grimaldi’

This species of Brugmansia is regarded as having the most fragrant flowers in the Brugmansia genus. They bloom a generous amount of large, trumpet-shaped, golden yellow flowers from midsummer to autumn that actively open and close at different hours of the day. 

Often described as a vigorous tropical garden tree or shrub featuring large, toothed, green leaves that create a beautiful contrast against the large flowers. This species is a sun lover that grows 8 -12 feet in length and 6 – 12 feet in diameter.

Brugmansia ‘Betty Marshall’

A tropical shrub or small garden tree with bold, large, pendant, trumpet-shaped, creamy or white flowers. This vigorous plant blooms flowers that have a strong honeysuckle scent and are 8 – 10 inches in length. 

Also, they bloom from midsummer to autumn and the flowers open and close at different times of the day. It makes a show-stopping focal point with its dramatic flowers that sparkle against long, green leaves. It can be grown in containers to reach a height of 10 – 15 feet in height and diameter.

Brugmansia sanguinea ‘Red angel’s trumpet’

Brugmansia Sanguinea, the only species of the genus that produces true red but non-fragrant flowers is a tropical small garden tree or shrub. Its semi-green foliage compliments the shining blooms that feature a green flower base, golden yellow petals on the sides, and a bright red mouth with yellow veins. These flowers are produced in large numbers from late summer to winter and attract hummingbirds (if you live somewhere tropical!). Temperatures above 21 degrees Celsius will delay the bloom, so when summers are too hot, it is less likely to bloom flowers.

It grows to a height of 8 to 12 feet in diameter length and 6 to 12 feet in diameter so can be grown comfortably in containers. Lastly, it has a reputation as being the hardiest of the Brugmansia genus, withstanding very short periods of light frost.