I've had a Brugmansia var. "Peaches and Cream" for several years before and never had any problem other than the worms. Last year about this time I took a small cutting, potted it, and fed and watered it heavily (picked worms off by hand!) until frost, then I started dragging the pot inside on cold days. (Plant had reached about 6 feet.) I was rewarded with a nice bloom cycle in December...in slow motion, as the blooms took what seemed like weeks to develop and the flowers lasts several day each. Then in April I enjoyed a heavy bloom

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but now the plant looks terrible. During the winter rats ate the lower leaves off 1 by 1, which I didn't think too great of a tragedy, but the plant became infested with spider mites, and is heavily infested now. Leaves are yellowing before reaching full size, and although the plant is still blooming regularly the size of the flowers has really declined. I am thinking maybe this is just the fate of an overwintered plant when it must come inside, but maybe someone has some ideas? Maybe I could cut it to about 4 feet now so that most of the mites would be gone, clean the stems thouroughly, and then it would have plenty of time to recover so I can bring it inside this winter and enjoy those April blooms again? Also I have smaller plants from overwintered cuttings, and although they are in the juvenile growth stage and don't have nearly as many insects their leaves also are turning yellow.