Brugmansia blooms – the business end.

I have a perfume factory in my family room. The fragrance? Brugmansia. LOTS and LOTS of Brugmansia. It is also known as Angel’s Trumpet. This 7-foot tree like plant was one of the last plants I brought in from outside for the winter. It proceeded to thank me for saving its tender tropical life by dropping its leaves. Five to ten a day. You can hear them: plop, plop, plop.

Just when the plant looked its worst, it started to bloom. Five blooms opened Sunday night – ten more opened last night. Five more are expected tonight. Twenty glorious flowers – and they are spectacular – over a foot long, including the scape. Brugmansias are in the Solanacea plant family as are the potatoes and nightshades. Native to tropical South America regions it relies on pollinating moths who are allured by its overpowering scent which kicks into high gear in the early evening. I can even smell them upstairs! Thank goodness it is a pleasant scent.

Gardening author in town

Wegerzyn Auditorium (1301 E. Siebenthaler Ave., Dayton OH) is the place to be this coming Sunday, October 21 from 2-4 pm when  Stephanie Cohen will share, “Native Plants with Bling!”  Join popular garden lecturer and writer Stephanie Cohen for a discussion about selecting and incorporating the best of native plants in your garden to add sparkle and bling.

Native plants are sustainable, good for wildlife and the environment, and some have even become superstars in the perennial plant industry. Unfortunately, some native plants also have a reputation for looking weedy, boring or out of control and not being a good choice for the home garden. Au contraire – gardening with native plants will benefit the native insects and wildlife, save time and money, conserve water AND look great all at the same time.

Stephanie has taught herbaceous plants and perennial design at Temple University for over 20 years. She was the founder and director of the Landscape Arboretum at Temple University. She is a contributing editor for “Fine Gardening” and The HGTV Newsletter and her recent books include Fallscaping: Extending your Garden Season into Autumn and The NonStop Garden.

Call (937) 277-6545 to register. Event is free and all are welcome!