April 2011 Archives
April 29, 2011
This new Angel Trumpet seedling makes a spectacular debut.
With so many of my angel trumpet seedlings in bloom right now, a new bloom has to be quite spectacular to stand out from the rest. Here's one that caught my attention from nearly 100 feet away. It's an offspring from a cross of Brugmansia Angels Moonlight x Morgansonne.
The jumbo-sized blooms are striking and elegant. This bloom is showing a nice coloration on day one, and appears to be deepening as it matures.
Several other seedlings from this cross have already bloomed, but this is the first one to show color.
As you can see below, it is not a shy bloomer and the plant is very healthy.
I will be watching this one with great anticipation this summer.
The jumbo-sized blooms are striking and elegant. This bloom is showing a nice coloration on day one, and appears to be deepening as it matures.Several other seedlings from this cross have already bloomed, but this is the first one to show color.As you can see below, it is not a shy bloomer and the plant is very healthy.
I will be watching this one with great anticipation this summer. April 22, 2011
A variegated Angel Trumpet surprise
While out pollinating my Angel Trumpet blooms earlier this week I stumbled across this variegated sport on a brugmansia Fantasma plant. At first I almost did not notice it because this Fantasma plant is growing beside, and is intertwined with, another variegated Angel Trumpet, Brugmansia 'Freckles'.
The variegated branch starts out from a "Y", which I find rather strange. As you can see in the photograph below, the lower half of the 'Y' is solid green and the upper part is variegated.
The variegation is a golden cream on green which is sort of unusual by itself. I'm trying to contain my excitement about finding this because variegated sports can be fickle. This branch could easily revert back to green and the variegation disappear. As soon as this branch gets a bit more woody, I plan to take a cutting and root it.
If you are not familiar with Brugmansia 'Fantasma', it has a large white shredded style bloom. I found that this cultivar performs better for me than the more common Brugmansia 'Shredded White'.
Who knows, perhaps next year you will see the introduction of the world's first variegated brugmansia with shredded blooms!
The variegated branch starts out from a "Y", which I find rather strange. As you can see in the photograph below, the lower half of the 'Y' is solid green and the upper part is variegated. The variegation is a golden cream on green which is sort of unusual by itself. I'm trying to contain my excitement about finding this because variegated sports can be fickle. This branch could easily revert back to green and the variegation disappear. As soon as this branch gets a bit more woody, I plan to take a cutting and root it.If you are not familiar with Brugmansia 'Fantasma', it has a large white shredded style bloom. I found that this cultivar performs better for me than the more common Brugmansia 'Shredded White'.Who knows, perhaps next year you will see the introduction of the world's first variegated brugmansia with shredded blooms!April 19, 2011
Brugmansia Angels Endless Summer
Brugmansia Angels Endless Summer is a hybrid Angel Trumpet from German Hybridizer Anne Kirchner-Abel. It is currently showing off its second flush of blooms for this season.
I have a bunch of Anne Kirchner-Abel hybrids in my collection and most are also being used in my hybridizing program. Her cultivars all seem to thrive here in Florida so the genes are a great addition to our existing gene pool..
The blooms age to a nice orange and if you look closely you can even see a tinge of pink in the lower skirts. One of the recent blooms piqued my interest because a quarter of it was pink as you can see below. I have not seen that in a bloom before.
I wish I knew the parentage of the cross so I could research where the pink came from. Unfortunately Anne Kirchner-Abel does not publish the parentage of her crosses so it will forever remain a mystery.
I have a bunch of Anne Kirchner-Abel hybrids in my collection and most are also being used in my hybridizing program. Her cultivars all seem to thrive here in Florida so the genes are a great addition to our existing gene pool..The blooms age to a nice orange and if you look closely you can even see a tinge of pink in the lower skirts. One of the recent blooms piqued my interest because a quarter of it was pink as you can see below. I have not seen that in a bloom before. I wish I knew the parentage of the cross so I could research where the pink came from. Unfortunately Anne Kirchner-Abel does not publish the parentage of her crosses so it will forever remain a mystery.
Brugmansia Brautwalzer returns from a near death experience
Brugmansia Brautwalzer, a Monica Gottschalk creation, is an elegant multi-skirt skirt white with thick textured blooms and beautiful corolla teeth.
This Angel Trumpet nearly died last summer when I recycled some used
potting soil to top off the soil levels on some of my larger plants. A
fungus developed at the soil level, girdling the trunk and causing the upper portion of the plant to begin a slow death. I cut the main plant off about six inches above the visible damage and then cut the stalk into several chunks for rooting. I soaked them in a fungicide solution for an hour and then proceeded to root them. I was surprised that most survived and rooted. Now the survivors are rewarding me with blooms.
This Angel Trumpet nearly died last summer when I recycled some used
potting soil to top off the soil levels on some of my larger plants. A
fungus developed at the soil level, girdling the trunk and causing the upper portion of the plant to begin a slow death. I cut the main plant off about six inches above the visible damage and then cut the stalk into several chunks for rooting. I soaked them in a fungicide solution for an hour and then proceeded to root them. I was surprised that most survived and rooted. Now the survivors are rewarding me with blooms.Thick textured blooms typically hold up better in our summer heat. That is why I was anxious to bring this cultivar into my hybridizing program. So far I have one seed pod forming and I hope I can get a couple more to set before our summer heat makes setting pods nearly impossible.
April 18, 2011
A Brugmansia rain catcher
Brugmansia Rosalie is an Angel Trumpet that tends to display its blooms in a horizontal fashion. Occasionally it produces blooms that display upwards, as if designed to collect rain. Perhaps the bloom pictured below was designed to gather rain and water during our current dry spell? :)
Rosalie is a great Angel Trumpet for our hot Florida climate. As with most pinks, the color deepens as the bloom matures.
Rosalie is a great Angel Trumpet for our hot Florida climate. As with most pinks, the color deepens as the bloom matures.April 16, 2011
The guardians of my Angel Trumpets
After another frigid winter, the tree frog population is finally rebounding. The sound of the tree frog's chirping is like music to my ears. More tree frogs equate to less insect pests available to munch on my plants.
April 15, 2011
If you like your Angel Trumpets white and flouncy...
This Angel Trumpet seedling was placed in my watch zone last summer and now it has earned keeper status. It is from a cross involving Brugmansia Pink Perfektion x Orange Sunshine.
The blooms are thick textured and long lasting. I really like their flouncy look too.
This seedling has been a frequent bloomer and its snow white blooms are an eye-catcher.
It would have been nice if some of Brugmansia Orange Sunshine's color would have carried over to these blooms. Perhaps a second generation cross will bring the color genes to the front. I cannot remember if these blooms had a fragrance, so I'll have to report back on that.
I'm going to continue to watch this seedling during the summer. If it performs well, expect to see this beautiful seedling named and registered this fall.
The blooms are thick textured and long lasting. I really like their flouncy look too.This seedling has been a frequent bloomer and its snow white blooms are an eye-catcher.It would have been nice if some of Brugmansia Orange Sunshine's color would have carried over to these blooms. Perhaps a second generation cross will bring the color genes to the front. I cannot remember if these blooms had a fragrance, so I'll have to report back on that.I'm going to continue to watch this seedling during the summer. If it performs well, expect to see this beautiful seedling named and registered this fall.April 10, 2011
I guess you could call this Angel Trumpet an exotic butterfly
So far this Angel Trumpet cross involving Brugmansia Butterfly x Angels Exotic has yielded some interesting results. Here's a recent bloomer that I placed into my watch zone. This one I have labeled as seedling #7.
The blooms are large and the corolla skirts compact. Because this was the first bloom on this seedling, it will be interesting to see what the next blooms are like. Quite often it takes several bloom cycles for a seedling's blooms to evolve into their final form.
The color was a deep pink and very nice. As the bloom aged the color intensified. Like its father, I'm sure the color will deepen more this summer.
As you can see, this bloom is rather unique in comparison to other pink multi-skirts available.
The blooms are large and the corolla skirts compact. Because this was the first bloom on this seedling, it will be interesting to see what the next blooms are like. Quite often it takes several bloom cycles for a seedling's blooms to evolve into their final form.The color was a deep pink and very nice. As the bloom aged the color intensified. Like its father, I'm sure the color will deepen more this summer.
As you can see, this bloom is rather unique in comparison to other pink multi-skirts available.April 6, 2011
The evil within...
I had been waiting days for this one special Angel Trumpet bud to mature enough so that I could slice it open for pollination. Once sliced open I realized the wait had been futile, the flower innards had been destroyed.
Lately I have been finding a bunch of these nasty creatures munching away inside my Brugmansia buds. They are known as the Winter Moth Inchworm. They make a small hole to enter the bloom and then start eating. Unless you happen to spot the small entrance hole, the infested bud appears normal. They start by eating the stamens and stigma, and then chow down on the entire flower. Within a day or two the infested bud/flowers have the Swiss cheese look.
I guess it's time to bring out the Orthene and get these guys under control. :(
Lately I have been finding a bunch of these nasty creatures munching away inside my Brugmansia buds. They are known as the Winter Moth Inchworm. They make a small hole to enter the bloom and then start eating. Unless you happen to spot the small entrance hole, the infested bud appears normal. They start by eating the stamens and stigma, and then chow down on the entire flower. Within a day or two the infested bud/flowers have the Swiss cheese look.I guess it's time to bring out the Orthene and get these guys under control. :(
April 5, 2011
March wraps up as the golden Angel Trumpet month
March turned out to be a golden Angel Trumpet month with more than a dozen promising new yellow/orange seedlings blooming for the first time. Here is another one that stood out amongst the rest. It is from a cross involving Brugmansia Ludger's Windsong x Angel's Moonlight.
The blooms on this seedling were above average in size with a nice thick texture. They started out gold and then turned more orange as they aged. The color was extremely rich and you could spot these blooms from yards away.
I know I have another seedling from this cross I placed in my watch zone last fall and from what I can recall, the blooms were similar to these. Both their parents do well in our hot Florida summers so I expect this seedling to thrive as well. Being the happy pollinator that I am, I already have a couple of seed pods forming this plant.
