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Known for its fragrant and pendulous flowers that take the shape of trumpets, the Angel trumpet’s descent can be traced back to South America, where the Brugmansia x candida, its scientific term, grows up to 20 feet tall as a perennial flowering shrub. In other countries, the angel trumpet is grown as a tree for maximum bloom production.

The flowers are mostly long around 15 to 20 inches while the diameter is 13 inches. Each night becomes pleasantly scented because of the flowers. Besides the fragrant blooms, the shrub also boasts of attractive spineless berries of narrow and cylindrical pods. The leaves of the plant, which can grow to as long as 30 centimeters, are mostly dull green, hairy and with wavy margins.

While there are 7 different species belonging to Solanaceae family, which can be confusing, the classification between two genetically isolated categories makes it more convenient in identification.

The angel trumpet can be divided between the Brugmansia and the Sphaerocarpium. In Brugmansia, the species are aurea, insignis, sauveolens and versicolor. This group is also known as the warm-growing. On the other hand, the Sphaerocarpium includes the species of arborea, vulcanicola, and sanguine. This group is also known as the cold-growing.

To make the Brugmansia variety easily recalled and referred to, they are commonly known by the color of their flowers. Thus, among the top varieties of this flowering shrubs are the yellow angel trumpet, double white angel trumpet, grand marnier angel trumpet, mango crush angel trumpet, and pink delight angel trumpet, and which shall concisely be the focus of this report.

Being a heat-loving shrub, the angel trumpet can be classified as tropical or sub-tropical and favors the temperature between 80 and 85 degrees Fahrenheit. The shrubs love cool nights and warm days that many enthusiasts cultivate Brugmansia on containers in areas where the climate can grow very cold during winter.

As it a proud member of the Nightshade family, the angel trumpets are cousins with petunias, tomatoes and potatoes. While these crops are all pleasant to the taste buds, the trumpets are not. In fact, everything about the shrub is highly poisonous. Thus, in handling it, extra precaution is recommended. Likewise, it is wise to wear gloves when working with the trumpet.

In addition, the plant should be located on a place where children and pets cannot access. Besides the toxicity of angel trumpets, the shrub has also been associated with hallucination as parts of it are used in making hallucinogenic drug or tea.

Yellow Angel Trumpet

Hailed from Colombia to Ecuador, the Yellow Angel Trumpet can grow to a height of 30 feet and to a width of 12 feet. Its flowers, voluminous and fragrant only at night, are buttery yellow, forging the shapes of a trumpet that have edges rolling back and forming tendrils.

Summer and fall are the best season for the flowering shrub to bloom, although many enthusiasts assured that they can grace the garden with their pretty trumpets all year round, provided they are given proper care. The scent is especially attractive to moths and night pollinators, as well as bees, birds and butterflies.

Sporting a scientific name Brugmansia ‘Charles Grimaldi’, the Yellow Angel Trumpet is a woody shrubs that can be pruned into petite trees with pendant-like blooms and bean-shaped seedpods. Their leaves are oversized and smoothly textured with colors ranging from evergreen to blue green.

To care for Charles Grimaldi, it must be cultivated in areas where it gets direct sunlight or partial sunlight. However, care should be observed as too much exposure to sunlight may cause the yellow angel trumpet to wilt. One indication that it is getting exuberant heat is when the leaves start to drop.

Grimaldis thrive best in USDA zones 9b to 1. Their watering requirement is medium, which means that although they should be watered regularly, it should not be done excessively. When planted indoor, the soil must be moist and well-drained.Charles Grimaldi makes an excellent borders and beds.

During their blooming season, the fantastic display of flowers last from late spring until autumn. They also do an outstanding job as indoor plants, container plants and flowering trees.

In areas where winter months bring blistering cold, gardeners cultivate Charles Grimaldi in sheltered container pots to protect them from the winds that tatter the foliage. Expect that the shrub may incur frost damage and unpleasant appearance.

Everything will get back to normal as soon as winter passes. Parts of its caring are the application of fertilizers particularly during bloom, keeping it moist in winter, and removing any dead, weak and crowded stems. They can also be cut back and placed dormant in a cool place such as the basement or be placed under a glass.

Among the problems encountered by the Yellow Angel Trumpets is the issue on pests as Charles Grimaldis are vulnerable to white flies, spider mites, mealybugs, aphids and caterpillars. Hence, an application of pesticide may be necessary.

White Angel Trumpet

Another cultivar of Brugmansia is the White Angel Trumpet with a scientific name Brungmansia suaveolens. Just like the yellow cultivar, the white angel trumpet is a hybrid. Along with the hybrid are characteristics that are rarely seen in natural varieties, including the multiple numbers of blooms and their color.

However, climactic and soil conditions may also influence the shades and forms of the hybrid cultivars of angel trumpet.The smell of Suaveolens is similar to that of a lemon. The White

Angel Trumpets are native to Peru and thrive best in sunset zones ranging from 16 to 24 and USDA 10 to 12 zones. While some of the Suaveolens bloom from late spring to early autumn, they can actually produce attractive flowers for most of the year including summer.

Under desirable conditions such as regular watering, rich and well-drained soil, and partial sunlight exposure, the white angel trumpets can grow to as high as 15 feet. Just like the yellow angel, the white angel trumpet can also be cultivated in pots especially during winter.

Adding mulch to its topsoil will protect the shrub from wilting with the cold temperatures, without having to transport them indoors, although they also make a good display of blooms inside the house.

When planted outdoors in winter, the shrub may grow dormant and recover between late April and early May. All cultivars of Angel Trumpets are poisonous. The whites are no exception.

Orange Angel Trumpet

Another term for orange angel is Mango Crush Angel Trumpet. Of all the cultivars of Brugmansia, the Orange has the most production of flowers and the largest as well with 2 feet long. Native to the mountainous region of the Ecuador, the Mango Crush has the label ‘Dr. Seuss’ cultivar.

Depending on how one cultivates the Mango Crush, the flowering shrubs can grow to a height of 10 feet. Its petite version is 4 feet, which when properly trained to that height, can have orange trumpets covering the entire shrub, and dipping down into the earth resembling pendants, almost all year long.

Like any other cultivars, the Dr. Seus grows best in warmer sub-tropical to tropical climates, and survive the frosts in winter when covered with mulch or when sheltered inside. Its foliage sports a velvet color and its textured is fuzzy. Veins are prominent in its leaves.

The USDA zones that orange angel trumpet can grow are from 7b to 11. When planted as groundcover, the spacing must be set between 36 and 48 inches.

Pink Angel Trumpet

When they bloom, the Pink Angel Trumpet starts as yellow, then they become white, before finally settling to pink, its permanent color. During the time when it changes color, the flowers, which can grow as long as 10 inches, are upright. They begin to face the earth as they mature and reached their final color.

After several days, the trumpet-like flowers drop to the ground, and soon, another batch of fresh flowers will grace the garden and make it fragrant. This holds especially true when the shrubs are given copious water.

Flowers are generously available from late spring to early summer, and from mid-summer to early fall.

When cultivated outdoors, the Pink Angel Trumpets prefer their soil rich, well-drained, and protectively facing the sun. While the flowers are a sight to behold with its shape similar to trumpet facing down, the leaves, when young are sub-serrated at their margins.

However, the edges are smoothened as they mature. Brugmansia x Insignis, its scientific name, can reach a maximum growth of 15 feet when cared properly. Among the USDA zones from where they can be cultivated are from zone 8 to 11. To propagate the pink angel trumpet, semi-ripe cuttings during summer will best do it.

It is also amenable to sow seeds in spring. If planted indoors, the pink angel trumpets need watering regularly except in winter and fertilizers when flowers start to bloom.

Grand Marnier

Native to the Andes in South America, the Grand Marnier Angel Trumpets are among the cultivars of Brugmansia that are a must have in one’s collection as they are among the early cultivars that can be traced back to as early as the 1900s.

It is also the most cultivated variety with fascinating history tucked with its petals, which must be the reason for receiving its Award of Garden Merit.

The color of their pendant flowers ranges from pale peach to salmon apricot yellow, while its leaves are between evergreen and bluegreen. The shrubs can reach their maximum height of 10 feet when properly cared.

The Grand Marnier Angel Trumpet grows best in USDA zones from 10 to 13. It prefers its soil to mildly acidic to mildly alkaline. Among the methods for propagation includes the woody stem cuttings, semi-hardwood cuttings, hardwood cuttings, softwood cuttings, and by air layering.

The seeds can also be sowed for seedlings. The seed heads must be allowed to dry on shrubs before they are removed and collected. Because they do not store very well, the seeds must be sowed as soon as possible.

Growing Angel Trumpet

Angel Trumpets are not difficult to cultivate. As long as the flowering shrub’s basic needs are met, it can grow to as high as 25 feet. Many gardeners follow the advice of other fellow enthusiasts in planting the fragrant perennial shrubs—grow them into trees for maximum bloom production. The flowers start to bloom from dusk to dawn.

However, before one jumps into her garden to prepare the soil, there is one thing that needs to be understood: the Angel Trumpets are highly toxic. Everything around them is poisonous. Hence, deciding on where to grow the Angel Trumpets are very important especially if there are children and pets around.

Brugmansias can be planted on a garden or be confined on containers. Either way, the shrubs are generous in showing their attractive trumpet-like flowers.

Planting Angel Trumpets In A Garden

The best time to plant Angel Trumpets is early spring or when the last signs of winter are gone. The area where the beds are prepared for planting must be protected from strong gushing winds, while having a full to partial sunlight exposure.Soil

Most plants prefer well-drained soil and rich in nutrients. Angel Trumpets are no exception. Before planting any of the shrubs, the ground must be prepared by spreading a fertilizer with NPK value of 2-10-6. The pH level is between mildly acidic and mildly alkaline.

After applying the NPK fertilizer, follow the water. Supplying enough amount of water after every application of fertilizer would help the nutrients to seep deeper into the soil. As soon as the water drains, dig a hole on the ground with a depth and width similar to the size of the Angel trumpet’s root ball.

If you have seedlings, you can transplant them on the hole one by one. Refill the hole with soil, and water again to make the moisture reach the roots.

Each shrub or stem of Angel Trumpet should be planted at 6 inches apart from each other. This is to ensure that the plant roots have adequate space beneathWater

Watering the Angel Trumpets at least twice a week will ensure that the shrubs will grow healthily. In areas where there are frequent rains, the Brugmansia cultivars are found to be at their healthiest.

However, the climate zones must be considered. In some areas, watering is needed only once a week.Watering is stopped during winter.

Fertilizer

Once a year, the Angel Trumpets need a good fertilizer such as the 6-10-4 NPK before the growth period in spring. These perennial shrubs go dormant every winter and grow back to life before or during spring.

Nonetheless, there are veteran growers who apply the fertilizers twice a year, once during the first blooms of the trumpets, and another one in spring or summer.

Organic fertilizers such as the compost, peat moss, bone meal are recommended. In winter, the topsoil is covered with mulch to protect the shrubs, especially their roots from the frost.

Planting Angel Trumpets In A Pot

The pots for the Angel Trumpets must be large and deep enough to allow the shrub to grow into a petite tree, a state where the blooms are at their peak. It is possible to cultivate the shrubs from a pot, and transplant it into an in-ground garden. But it is also attractive to let the flowering shrubs grow on pots.Soil

One of the best things about planting flowers—or plants for that matter—on a pot is the chance to ensure that the soil is healthy and nutrient rich. In growing Angel Trumpets on pots, the soil must be carefully chosen and prepared in a similar manner that an in-ground garden is prepared.Mixing the soil with a compost or peat moss is the most ideal.

However, it is also imperative to make it certain that there is enough room left on top of the pot for water to seep through the soil.

Water

Potted Brugmansias appreciate the favor of being watered daily, particularly in summer where the months bring scorching heat. The watering only stops in winter. Sometimes, watering the plants may make the soil on the pot become less. It can be re-filled with a little of peat moss or compost or rich soil, provided that a specific space is left on top of the pot.

Fertilizer

Every two or three weeks, the potted Brugmansias need a good fertilizer to induce them to bloom abundantly and to make their leaves healthy and rich. Fertilizers with NPK ratio of 17-17-17 is effective to ensure the blooms every year, while ammonium nitrate at 34-0-0 applied in early spring or late summer will ensure that the Angel Trumpet’s foliage is rich. The ironite, prepared with 3 tablespoons in every 2 gallons, can be applied once every season, except in winter.

Pruning The Angel Trumpet

Being a tropical plant, the Angel Trumpet may bloom all throughout the year, especially if it is grown in a perfect habitat. In areas where climatic zones vary, the best way to make a garden keep its nocturnal fragrance from the flower trumpets all year long is to prune the shrub.

Like all other plants, pruning develops, molds, influences and hones the way a plant grows so that its best is brought out in it. Pruning stimulates the shrub to grow more limbs or branches, and thus, more flowers. It is done every after a flowering season, to ensure that another is coming.

The best time to prune the Angel Trumpet is as early as when its trunk starts to show its first Y shape. It is the time, when the trunk develops its first branch on its left and right. In pruning the Angel Trumpet, cut only the old growth, which includes old branches and stems. This will make the shrub to grow more branches.

The ideal way of cutting a branch off a trunk is to cut it off as close to the base of the trunk as possible without having to cut the center bulb. Some says that old branches should be pruned, while others advise not to prune more than one-third of the branches per single pruning.

If there are braided stems, better remove the leaves rather than the stems. Braided branches are any stems consisting of two or more branches intertwined together and form a single branch.Even the plant roots need pruning. But, only the smaller outermost roots are cut out, and never the large roots as they are the feeder roots.

To prune the roots, a shrub is uprooted carefully from a pot or a ground, then prune the miniscule roots. Plant it back from its pot or ground hole, and cover the topsoil with added compost or peat moss. Then water the shrub.

If the Angel Trumpet has already bloomed its first season, it also requires pruning. Prune back the used flower heads and trim the flowers off their stems. If there are dried leaves, branch or any sign of a disease or decay in any part of the shrub, they should certainly be removed to avoid spreading the disease to other areas.

To make a bushy Angel Trumpet tree, the pruning must be done on lateral branches, which are cut at the joint. Each joint pruned is stimulated to grow two new branches.

To have a double or triple trunk, two or three different trunks are twined together at an early age as at this stage, the trunks are still soft and flexible. Tie the trunks together with a stocking, and remove all leaves on the stem. It is possible to twine trunks of different colors or similar.

Caring For The Angel Trumpet In Winter

There are three ways to care for the Angel Trumpet in winter. First, if your area is within zones 1 to 8, it is best to have the Angel Trumpets as indoor plants. Place them in east or south facing window or where they can catch sunlight. They can also use greenhouse.

In winter, the Angel Trumpet does not bloom as it goes dormant; even its leaves will start to fall off. However, its roots are preserved. Watering is done once a month. When it starts to have new shoots in early spring, watering resumes and fertilizer is applied.

Second, Angel Trumpets planted in-ground can be uprooted, pruned and placed in pots. If they are already potted before winter, simply take them inside. Snip the shrubs around 10 inches and wash them thoroughly.

To drive away sowbugs and ants, have the soil drenched in water. Store them in a cool place such as the basement, crawlspace or garage or anywhere where the temperature is in constant 55 to 60 degrees Fahrenheit.

Third, cut back the Angel Trumpets grown in-ground, to make several cuttings. Root the cuttings in a container filled with water and store them inside.

In areas where the climatic zone is between 9 and 10, the Angel trumpets can be taken care of like a perennial plant. Whether they are potted or rooted on a ground, simply cover the topsoil heavily with mulch. Mulch is effective against weeds and in feeding the Angel Trumpets. When winter is over, the mulch is removed.

Propagation Of Angel Trumpet

There are two ways to propagate the Angel Trumpet: by seed germination and stem cuttings.Seed Germination

By far, seed germination in Angel Trumpet is slow as three weeks. Overall, however, the germination rate, once it starts, is high. The key to having excellent seed germination is by keeping the seeds moist. Soak them overnight in a jar of water.

The seeds, after they have totally dried out, are sowed into a pot with a good mix of soil or onto a flower garden, in spring or when all signs of winter frost disappeared, and the soil is once again warm. The depth with which the seeds are planted should be ¼ inch. Cover them barely with soil, and water them daily.

Once the seedlings sprout true leaves—the first set are only seed leaves—they should be cultivated in a container—if planted in-ground—and place them in a shade for 10 days. After which, they are placed in direct sunlight. Once they reached a specific growth, they can be pruned and then transplanted back into an in-ground garden. Or, they can remain in pots and continue pruning every after a season of blooms.

Stem Cutting

During pruning, branches from the Angel Trumpet can be made into stem cuttings. Or if you have no existing Brugmansia in your possession yet, you can ask for stem cuttings from your friend or neighbor. The stems must be at least 4 inches long and 6 inches maximum, and cut out from the trunk in late summer or before the first sign of frost appears. Use a clean craft knife or garden shear in cutting the stems.

The several stem cuttings must be rid of their leaves before they are soaked in a jar of water for many days until roots start to grow. When the stem cuttings have each have a good set of roots, they are ready for sprouting in a pot.

The pot must be large and deep enough to allow the stems to be immersed in 2 to 4 inches deep. Use rich and well-drained soil. It is best to combine the soil with compost or peat moss. Place them in a patio or sunny window sill. Water them daily until the leaves emerge. They can be transplanted on an in-ground garden when they are full grown. Do this in spring.

Rooting Hormone

One variation of propagation by stem cutting is the rooting hormone. In this approach, the stem cuttings are dipped into a rooting hormone such as the newspaper and keep them in a dry and dark place. After two years or so, their roots start to grow.For a shorter period of rooting hormone, the stem cuttings are prepared first by taking out the leaves from the lower half.

Prepare the rooting hormone by mixing equal parts of perlite and peat moss in a small or medium cup or canister, preferably plastic, Styrofoam or anything that has a cover or lid on it, and from which a hole can be made. The hole on the cup cover is made by punching a pencil through the center. Moisten the mixture with water.

Dip the stem halfway into the rooting hormone through the hole. If the cup is medium and can accommodate more than one stem, there should be more holes punched on the lid. If it is small, however, then better prepare a rooting hormone for each stem cutting. Place the cup next to a humidifier or cover it loosely with a plastic bag.

Check it twice a week and ensure it is moist by adding enough amount of water. Make sure that the stems are not soaked or soggy. After 8 to 11 weeks, the stems will develop strong root systems, which can be checked by carefully yanking it to the side. If the stem resists the yanking and instead holds the stem in place, you can be assured that it has a strong root system. At this time, the stem cutting is ready for transplanting.

Properties Of Angel Trumpets

However fragrant they are to the smell, and however pleasant they are to the eyes, all cultivars of the Angel Trumpets and everything about them are poisonous. Nonetheless, their toxicity has been prized by the ancient people for many centuries.

In 1500 BC in Peru, the shamans used the Angel Trumpets in medicinal uses due to their hallucinogenic properties. In pre-Colombian period, natives added the Angel Trumpets in maize and beer concoction, which were given to slaves and wives of dead kings to make them fall into a deep sleep.

They were buried alive together with their masters and husbands, after. Even up to the contemporary time, the Andeans include the Brugmansia in their healing rites and in diagnosis.

According to science, the Angel Trumpets contain tropane alkaloids such as the atropine, hyoscyamine, and scopolamine. Alkaloids are organic compounds found in plants and which can have dangerous effect to the central nervous system including the nerve cells, and extending down into the spinal cord, from which many of the body functions and behavior are controlled.

The impact of alkaloids can also manifest in the autonomic nervous system, and thus, will have an effect on the heartbeat, breathing, blood circulation, and regulation of the internal organs. Among the responses of atropine when ingested is dilation of pupils.

The legend of the tropane alkaloids springs from the time when witches allegedly brew potions and poisons. According to that legend, those who had sleeping disorder were induced into a deep sleep by using the Angel trumpet flowers, roots and leaves in aromatherapy.

Men and women who had problems with sex were told to sleep under an Angel Trumpet tree, and they would have strange and erotic dreams.

In the United States, the Angel Trumpets and other related species of Brugmansia and Datura are considered poisonous. Any uses of these plants are strictly discouraged as reports on teenage deaths surge over the past years. Teenagers, upon learning of the hallucinogenic effects of the Angel Trumpets brewed tea out of the plant’s leaves and flowers, or seeds.

Before the death occurs, the teenagers who sipped the tea experienced extreme palpitation, cardiac arrhythmia, and bronchoconstriction which triggers asthma attacks in some patients.

And while having all these, the teenagers run high fever, hallucinating, agitating and in delirium. Depending on how early help was administered, the teenagers either suffered permanent mental illness or flaccid paralysis. To reverse the effects of the tropane alkaloids, a treatment with intravenous physostigmine is necessary.

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