Re: Datura

On Fri, 23 Jun 2000 20:31:05 -0500 Pat <pattm@execpc.com> writes:
> Dean in Michigan wrote:
> >D. metel is an annual, so you'll want to let some -- repeat,
> >some! -- seed pods mature.  I snip the seed pods off all my daturas 
> --
> unless I want seeds in which case I'll let ONE seed pod mature  . .
> .<snip>
> 
> I think I'm in about the same region that you are (zone 5?), and 
> there
> is a man down the street who has white Datura metel come back every
> year.  
> 
> I'm not certain if they come back from new seeds, or because our 
> winters
> have been so mild that they actually survive through it.  He doesn't
> speak much English, so I'm at a loss to discuss annual vs. perennial
> with him . . . . .but they THRIVE on the south side of his house, 
> under
> the eaves, with full sun.  Last year they were at least 4 feet high. 
> .
> .. and the flowers were ooooh la la!

Pat --

Actually, I'm in Zone 6B; gotta' drive thirty miles west or north for Z5.
 My only question about your neighbor's plants is that are you sure it's
D. metel?  I've seen D. inoxia sold as D. metel at nurseries and in
catalogues.  The easiest way to tell is that D. metel is totally smooth
and hairless (glabrous) whereas D. inoxia is covered in fine hairs
(pubescent).  That south-facing exposure would be a good microclimate for
something tender to survive the winter.

I only say D. metel is an annual because that's how it's listed in Hortus
Third.  I've never had an opportunity to try overwintering one -- don't
have a greenhouse, and as "houseplants" Daturas tend to be spider mite
magnets.  I've never had a D. metel survive the winter outdoors, even in
situations where they're growing right alongside D. inoxia.  Jimsonweed
(D. stramonium) is a true annual.

Maybe don't use the terms "annual" and "perennial" with your neighbor --
clearly we've seen how confusing those terms can be!  Stick with the
basics of what you can see: do the roots survive the winter as with
peonies (or whatever else he's got growing) or are this year's plants
from seeds as with marigolds (or whatever).  He'll know what you're
talking about, language barrier or not.  ;-)

Dean Sliger
Warren, Michigan, USA
Zone 6B




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