Re: brugmansia

Val - 

I keep the lower leaves on the plant for the spring flush of blooms...but as 
summer comes and the heat intensifies the leaves seem to want to go.  By 
fall, the yellow and white are more tree like....This is nice because in the 
beginning the perennials around them are still asleep from the winter and the 
extra foliage of the brugs is nice.....by the time they loose their lower 
leaves the salvia's and duranta's around them are 3' high and the brugs sorta 
of "halo" the garden....these are the accidents that mother natures rewards 
us with.  The peach versicolor seems to the only one that keeps the "shrub" 
shape.  Last year mine was about 10' tall and equally as round.

As far as branching - It will happen naturally....but like most plants you 
can prune to promote branching.....just remember that brugs tend to have 
quite a bit of die back so you don't want to be too aggressive...I would 
allow for at least 6 inches of die back.  I leave the dieback on the plant 
until the new growth grows much higher and the wound has completely 
healed.....by that time you should just be able to snap off the dieback.

I too can never wait for the natural branching to occur....I just 
transplanted a cutting that I stuck in the dirt by the fence in the back last 
year to a front (more visable location)...didn't have the heart to throw it 
away....well the cutting is now about 4' high and when I transplanted it I 
lost the top 12" of the plant, and all of the leaves....didn't like the 
transplant.  Two weeks later, the top is branching and the leaves have come 
back...already about 8" long.  People who walk by in the evening tell me 
wow...can't believe that one lived...thought it was a gonner!!  It's funny 
what people notice.  Just wait until they see it in full bloom this fall.

Good luck and happy gardening.

Kemberly McLain
Katy, Texas   Zone 9

P.S.  Isn't this post great.....I'm actually having a visitor today from 
someone I met here, online...she's coming over to swap cuttings.

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