I bought a plant of Brugmansia 'Cherub' at Plant Delights Nursery this spring. The plant really took off when I put it in the ground, growing rapidly and growing large, healthy leaves but in early summer when it was about 4 or 5 feet tall it developed either a nutrient deficiency or mites, and stalled out for a couple of months. It finally resumed growing in late summer when the cooler temperatures were more to its liking, put out good healthy growth and about a dozen buds, and has been in full bloom for the past week. A few buds are still opening so assuming we don't get a freeze, it should be blooming for at least another week.

Is this a particularly late-blooming cultivar or was this just a fluke or a result of the growth stalling in mid-summer? I'm not sure I'll try any brugs again as they aren't hardy here, take up so much space and the payoff is so late, but on the other hand it's nice to see something in full bloom this time of year!

Fortunately the flowers last a long time and we are not likely to have any freezing temperatures for at least a couple more weeks--so it's a nice way to end the growing season. The color change is interesting--the flowers open a pale creamy yellow, almost white, and turn a progressively deeper pink over the next few days. The flowers have a sweet fragrance, but it's not nearly as pronounced as with other brugs I've grown; I only smell it if I stick my nose right in the flower.

BTW note the slug damage at the lower right on the first photo; these things may be poisonous to us but they are slug candy. The early leaves were more or less stripped by slugs, and it amazes that the slugs will still climb all the way to the top to graze on the leaves. I guess I should be happy they're not munching on the flowers.

Scroll to bottom for full-sized version of the first photo (where the slug damage is more visible).

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