My Faithful Tropical - Brugmansia......

I am and always have been intrigued by nature.  Everyday there is a new experiment I want to try, or I read something new about something that is very familiar.  It just keeps life exciting to me.  I would like to think that I was a mad Botanist at some point in a different life....but for today, I am passionate about a tropical plant that I have overwintered in doors for the second year in a row.  His name is Brugmansia.....he is an outstanding vision of a ht and humid summers eve...on a snowy day in March.

This was the Brugmansia on the morning that I went to the Philadelphia Flower Show - March 5, 2014.  I was shocked that there were two buds.  Last year I only had one bud and was shocked at that one.  After all, the  indoor conditions are not full sun - but it is bright,  I keep my house cool - not hot or humid and most importantly, I seriously do NOT have a regular watering schedule.  I tend to water when the plants cough...or when they whisper to me as I head to my office to read or to the garden room to start some more seeds.   Even after all of this hap hazard tough love approach it is still faithful.  I got it in the clearance section at Gingko Gardens on Capitol Hill.  It appeared to be healthy and I had forgotten to bring in my older Brugmansia's the fall prior, so I was in need of another one.

 
March 12th - I was so excited and worried at the same time.  I had brought out the insecticidal soap to spray, as I noticed a leaf with yellow frayed edges.  This was a sign of an unwanted pest in the midst of my long awaited joy. I gently sprayed the foliage and the soil, careful to not spray the bloom......just in case.  Over the weekend I noticed that the bud was unfurling like a frilly gown at prom.  However I was patient and just gave him a sip of water to hydrate and encourage him to bloom.

March 17, 2014 - what a great way to end the day.  I worked from home today and was really not focused on the Brugmansia today.  I went about my work, took care of Aminia and then when I was preparing to go to bed - I could smell the sweet smell of success (as my Dad used to always say).  A fragrance so gently intoxicating I could just sniff it for hours, although I understand while poisinous, it is also a hypnotic and erotic smell.  I wonder if the Clyburn Arboretum will have more of the variegated leaf cultivar again this year......I forgot to bring those inside as well.

I had to share this because when you have something this beautiful in your midst, it just must be shared!!!

All things beautiful....including the snow!