Blooms changing color on Brugmansia

[MotherBrugger]

These two photos show how temps and time play a role in how brugmansia changes her colors. Who would have ever thought that the lovely tightly woven yellow flower would later open to the deep pink?
PS: This is not the NOID I talked about in another post, this is Frosty Pink, back in Feb. Yellow is first open, 63 degrees. Pink is second day, about
76 degrees.

Frosty Pink, morning

Day 2, 76 degrees, late morning

I will post the NOID brug photos here sometime tomorrow, when I know true bloom color.
Hope you like

 

[MotherBrugger]

I also want to show you something else really cool about brugs. Their leaves change pattern as they begin to form flower buds. Note the arrow on bottom. Notice how the leaf at top is not connected to itself, but broken and one side lower than other? This is telling you that flower buds will be directly set above this leaf. Notice top arrow, look closely and there is a tiny flower bud. Also, brugs must form a Y
(two stems in Y shape) off of trunk in order to create flowers. You can train the trees in tiers of Y's, creating 3 or more layers of hundreds of blossoms.

 

[AmyRey]

Well if that's not cool.

I have to wonder... What's the point of buying/selling these plants based on their color?

 

[MotherBrugger]

Because they do end up with a pretty steady range of color when bloom is finished opening. I think it's just amazing that they do this. But as example, if you look up 'Frosty Pink' most of the time the colors are very close to what you see above, depending upon the time of year yours is in bloom. Let's say it's 85 degrees here in May. I'll get close to that color, bit deeper. You, in Georgia, might not get 85 degrees until June. So if your Frosty Pink was setting blooms at that time, you'd get fairly much the same color, also deeper.
Also, just the corolla teeth, double flower varieties, triple, ease to grow, and beauty make them great garden pleasers, IMO.
Edit: Amy, remember how I said I train mine to tree-form? Well, that leaves me with plenty of cuttings. Brugs are super easy to get to root. If you want, I can start you some cuttings and send to you in about a month. You could start your own little collection right away, and see how you like them.

 

[lesa]

Just lovely! Believe it or not, I grow these in upstate NY! Of course, they spend the winter indoors- but there is nothing better in the summer! Last year I was complaining that one of the plants was big, but I hadn't had many blossoms. I swear, 2 days later I had 24 of those blooms! They smell like absolute heaven!
Mine have gone from the house to the greenhouse now and are beginning to get leaves. This is my first year with the greenhouse, so I am anxious to see how they do.
I have had no luck propagating them. Would love to hear your tips...

 

[MotherBrugger]

Leesa,
The trick is to use a woody stem section as the base. It's OK if the stem above this is green, but you don't want to start with green wood in growing medium. Cut at 45 degree angle, dip in Superthrive, then in Root Tone. The prepared styro or clear cup (no hole in bottom) is filled with perlite, in which you've made a small hole with your finger or a pencil (in the perlite) and stuck a piece of un-milled damp sphagnum moss into. The sphagnum moss will kiss the bottom of the prepared cutting. Fill
in around stem with more perlite. Fill cup with water. Place in sunny window and keep moist. Within a week or two, you should see new growth/leaves forming. Wait another week, then poke holes in bottom and place in tray to water. When you see roots comi9ng out of the bottom holes, you can transplant.

Edit: Here's a similarity w/photos of how I get mine going. Even though this link is discussing b. sanguinea, it is how I root all of my brug cuttings. I DO use Superthrive to dip, I don't think Helmut mentions this. Nor does he propone to root tone, but he's also talking about b. sanguinea, we're talking general brugs. : http://ibrugs.com/Community/iBrugsC...g/31/aft/155/showtab/groupforums/Default.aspx

 

[vfem]

Wow, I am learning so much! ...and may I add they are gorgeous and I see why you find them so wonderful!

 

[MotherBrugger]

Here's the sequence of my first blooming NOID of the year.

April 6th, early morning, 2011

Same flower, that morning

April 7th, 2011, morning

Same flower, this morning

So this one looks like a white. It may change a bit more this evening, but I doubt it as we're getting hit with about 89 degrees today.
Because it only shows one split in the calyx, it's most likely b. Arborea sp. (if wild) If not wild, and a hybrid mix, this would make it B. x Candida, which is B. Aurea x B. Versicolor