Brugmansia Growers International

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The Buzz - July 2008
Message from the Editor
Written by Dawna Bernier
Saturday, 07 March 2009 03:55
Here we are now approaching the midst of summer. We made it! Old man winter stayed around for some this year. Unexpected frosts and freezes made
brugmansia growing quiet interesting this spring. Now for the real interesting part. What are we in for this summer? Only time will tell.
During the past few months I have found myself to be quite busy with some unexpected situations at my place of employment. I have gradually found
myself working more and more for our union hall at a time of distress. It has now become very time consuming and no one knows how long our situation
is going to last. I made an oath three years ago to my fellow employees to represent them as one of their union delegates. At that time we were in a stable
situation and it was very uneventful, but now with economy and certain situations occurring, I am finding myself working many hours for my fellow
employees. With that said, I must tell you all that I have presently resigned as editor of the Buzz. It saddens me to say that I must leave but other situations
need my utmost attention at this time.
I have had much pleasure meeting many of you through the Buzz. So many of you have such interesting projects or profiles that you were willing to share. I
would sit at my computer sometimes just waiting to see what you had to write. I was fortunate to be the first to read about yourselves. I thank each and
every one of you that have contributed during my reign as Editor of the Buzz.
I will still be an active member of BGI and will be on the site in the wee hours of the morning during my quiet time. I just can no longer commit to any
serious time consuming projects.
Wishing all of you a bountiful brugmansia blooming summer and fall.
Message from the President
Seed Bank Update
Written by Patricia Watson
Written by Mary Voss
Since March, the seed bank
has sent out approximately
2500 Brugmansia, Datura and
bonus seeds. I would like to
take this time to thank Delisa
Harvey, Gary Morales and
Patricia Watson for their
generous contributions this past quarter to the seed bank.
Finally it looks like Summer is here to stay. I know for some of us
it has been a frustrating couple months. I say couple because I
started putting my Brugs. in the ground in early March which is
normal for me, only to have the nights turn cold for the entire
month of April. Others of you have had to deal with late snow
storms and other acts of mother nature. Hopefully we can now
look forward to a wonderful growing season.
Things have been very quiet here at BGI for a couple months
now, that tells me you are all busy working on your gardens and
getting your brugs. in the ground. For those of us that are already
getting blooms, we are busy pollinating and collecting pollen for
the pollen bank. If you haven’t visited the pollen bank in a while
you should check it out. There are some wonderful offerings in
there and Mary has done a wonderful job of making it a fun place
to go to browse even if it isn’t your time to make a draw.
I would like to take this opportunity to welcome all of our new
At this time, the seed bank continues to be low on Datura seeds, so please
keep the seed bank in mind if you harvest seed pods from any of your Datura's
this season.
The new and improved UK and European seed bank will be open soon. Don't
forget them, also, when saving seed for the seed bank. You can always send
all seed donations to me, and I will divide them up and send some on to
Neville for the UK/European seed bank.
Let's all remember to post photos in the seedlings forum and give the
hybridizers proper credit as we grow out our 2008 crop of future Brugmansia
stars!
Texas Roundup Report
Written by Pam Barton
members. We hope that we are providing you with a warm and
friendly place for you to enjoy, as you are learning more about
brugmansia’s. Please join in on the conversations so that we
can learn more about you. We have many hybridizers and very
knowlegable people that are are more than willing to answer any
questions you may have. I am always amazed at the willingness
of our members to reach out a helping hand to one another as
well as to our new members, or to give emotional support when
it is needed. I believe that is what makes this group so special. It
seems like all we hear about anymore are the negative things
happening around us from the media, so it does my heart good
watching the kindness that you exhibit to one another here at
BGI.
We have had a great suggestion to add a Disease and Pest
gallery to our forums. I think this would be a fantastic tool and
addition to our forums. If anyone would be willing to take on this
project or to help with it, please let me know. I wish all of you a
wonderful growing season. Each year the new seedlings just
get better and better, so we have something to really look
forward to in the coming months.
Maggi's Garden Magic
Written by Maggi Piercy
Over 20 years ago I decided Maggi's Garden Magic would be the
name of my nursery, if I ever got one going. I knew from the time I
was old enough to help my grandpa in his tomato patch that I
wanted to work with plants. I was given my first set of hand tools
for the garden when I was 5.
Ken has been a gardener from childhood also, and now here we
are, getting ready for our first customers. 12 years ago I moved
to Texas from Oregon. Growing up in the Pacific Northwest in a
rich gardening culture, I had no idea that there were areas in this
great country that are different from what I had always known.
Here in our part of Texas there is not the same tradition of
gardening I grew up with.
Our Texas Roundup was
held on May 10th in
Redfield, Arkansas this
spring. What a lovely area
to visit !! The entire state
was fragrant with blooming
privet and honeysuckle.
That was the first thing we
noticed when crossing the
state line. NICE !
Dave and Uschi (UschiAR)
were our dear and most
generous hosts. Several
different cirumstances
hindered many folks from
attending, and even though
they were missed, we still had a great time.
My DH Craig and I arrived a bit early on Friday afternoon, and Uschi was
cooking her heart out. Later on, Peg (pmelitus) and Harold arrived, and Uschi
opened up some fantasic AR wine.
Peg and Harold are as fun as
can be, and I DO remember
good fellowship over some
fantastic German fare. Honest,
I do !! We were granted
sleeping quarters in their
motor home, parked under the
200+ year old Oak tree. Pretty
cool.
On Saturday the 10th, their son Phillip
had a double-header in his Little
League schedule, and those were a
blast to watch. Dave and Uschi are
VERY active with the league and are the
official timekeeper and scorekeeper for
Phillip's team, the ORANGE CRUSH!
They CRUSHED the opponents, both
games.
When Ken and I moved into this house I started gathering
plants. I had a lot of failures till I got the hang of Texas weather. It
was a real challenge. Our soil was also a big problem: its very
rich clay but so hard! I started applying gypsum to break up the
clay and Ken started composting. My feeling has always been if I
can't show people the plants that can be grown here, I can't sell
plants to them.
Our garden has always been a thing of joy for both of us to plant
and tend. (Thats another thing, when I say garden to a native
East Texan, they always assume I am talking about vegetables.)
For me, garden means lush greens and lots of different plants
and flowers in attractive combinations. We have finally come to a
point where when people come here for the first time they spend
hours looking at the variety of plants, ask a lot of questions, and
usually leave with some real goodies for their own gardens.
The thing is, plants do multiply! What to do? Well, if your dream
has been to run a small nursery and offer rare (and for this area
that could be almost anything) and unusual plants, then why not
take the opportunity that presents itself? Its very scary, especially
the financial aspect of quitting your day job to embark on what
some folks call a cockamamie enterprise.
The first
thing we
decided is
that if you
are
perceived
as a
professional, potential customers are more likely to respect you
and your knowledge and will be more likely to buy what you are
selling with some confidence it will grow for them. I have started
out potting my for sale plants up into used pots, but I am always
careful to sort the pots by size, color and maker first, clean them
up (taking all old stickers off) and to pot each batch of plants into
pots that are all the same size, color, etc. The plants make a
Saturday evening, we were
rejoined by Peg and Harold,
and we got to meet some
new friends, too. Sharon,
who works with Uschi, and
her hubby James joined us
for Dave's knockout BBQ. It
was a super spread, and we
had a good time, despite the
tornado warnings.
Now, legend has it that many moons ago, the city of Redfield was blessed by
an Indian medicine man, AGAINST tornadoes. We sure found ourselves
depending on that! After all, this WAS Mothers' Day weekend, and a great deal
of the south/southeastern USAwere ravaged by storms, if you'll recall.
Arkansas suffered damages to the west and approximately 20 miles to the
east of Redfield, but we were FINE !
Peg had brought a couple of flats of plants that had been requested, AND
some homemade candles and body creams! What a treat ! Love the stuff,
pots that are all the same size, color, etc. The plants make a
neat and orderly appearance on whatever benches we decide to
use to display them for sale, and that makes a good first
impression on customers.
I found a local supplier of a reasonable bulk (by the pickup
truckload) potting mix, and that is a blessing. I still add my own
favorites to the mix most of the time; they are Bat Guano and
Earthworm Castings. Aplant is only as good as the soil its
grown in and my heart aches when I go places that pot plants
into garden soil or a very poor potting mix. I may not be able to
offer thousands of plants for sale right away, but I would rather
the hundreds I have be the best they can be.
Peg... very nice !!
Sunday morning, Uschi and I raided her property before we left for home, and I
really hated to leave. There are no sweeter, nor more generous people on
earth than gardening buddies, and these folks sure fit that bill.
Thanks so much, Dave and Uschi ! We hope to repay the hospitality soon!
Gardener's Hand Moisturizer
Written by Cindy D
There are
a number
of
nurseries
that offer
field grown
plants. We
have built a
bunch of
raised
beds
which are
our fields.
We grow
some of the plants up in the raised beds and then dig them and
pot them up in small batches as needed. The plants are
healthier than they would be if they were grown in pots and had
suffered the stress of periodic lack of water, and being healthier
overall they are more resistant to insects and diseases.
What with
raised
beds,
benches,
potting
benches,
etc, Ken
has had a
lot of
carpentry
work to do
around
here.
When we
were in the first planning stages I showed Ken exactly how high I
wanted the plant benches. I know I am getting too old to stoop
and lift flats and pots off low benches. I want to be able to water
and groom the plants comfortably. Then we went out to some
local nurseries and looked at how their benches are
constructed. We measured flats and pots and figured out how
far I can reach without straining and then Ken built the first group
of benches and they have worked out great. It seems silly in a
way to take to much time and trouble, but it was worth it.
There’s nothing more rewarding to
your senses and your skin than
applying a great smelling
salve/moisturizer to your body,
especially your hands. Here is a
great do it yourself hand
moisturizer.
Always check ingredients to make
sure you are not allergic to any of
them.
4 tablespoons of grated beeswax
1 cup of virgin olive or jojoba oil
5-10 drops of Lavender essential oil
10 drops of vitamin E oil (or 4 capsules)
1 tablespoon of cocoa or Shea butter (this is optional)
Stove top
Double boiler
Glass measuring cup
Glass or plastic dropper
Place measuring cup with Olive oil in a double boiler, bring to a slow boil.
Add beeswax and stir until melted.
Add cocoa butter and stir until melted.
Add drops of essential oil and vitamin E, stir until well blended.
Test solution by placing a drop or two on an ice cube. If it hardens it is ready. If it
is not the consistency that you like, add more olive oil if it is too hard or more
beeswax if it is too soft.
Pour into container.
I hope everyone enjoys this gardeners helper.
The
Tomato Hornworm
hoophouses came to us in two very different ways. Hoophouse
#1 came in trade for a pair of Call Ducks. The woman had it for 3
years and had never put it up! What a waste of good material :~)
Hoophouse #2 Ken bartered his labor for. There was an older
man in the area that had run a small nursery on his sisters
property. The man had to go into a nursing home and his sister
needed to get part of the hoophouses down and the area
cleaned up. One thing my friend Kathryn and I discovered when
we were skinning Hoophouse #2 is DONT do it with wind gusts
of 40 mph LOL! I am glad there was no one around with a video
camera that day.
We also had to take a good long look at the gate into our place,
The tomato hornworm, Manduca
quinquemaculata (Lepidoptera:
Sphingidae), is native to the United
states, and is commonly found
throughout the northern states. This
insect does not typically reach
economically damaging levels on
commercial farms. However, large
numbers of larvae can sporadically
occur in home gardens. Tomato
Those Pesky Bugs
hornworms feed only on
solanaceous plants, most often on
tomato. However, larvae will also attack eggplant, pepper, and potato. There
are many solonaceous weeds that also serve as alternate hosts, including:
horsenettle, jimsonweed and nightshade. And as we well know, Brugmansia
are a favorite treat. There are usually 2 generations of this insect each year in
the upper Midwest.
Biology and Life cycle
the driveway, areas we will use for parking and the area to use
for retail sales. Over the years we have accumulated a lot of stuff
- you know, all those things that will come in handy someday. A
lot of the stuff either has to go out of our lives or be moved out of
sight. Good friends have given us great advice about the sales
area. We are also clearing and cleaning up the gate area (after
we took down the metal gate and removed a post) and its getting
to be more inviting to passers-by.
What hours and days should we be open for business? That
was a tough question. We have decided on noon to dusk
Sunday through Friday and 9 am to dusk Saturday. I had (still
have) misgivings about being open for business on Sunday, but
well see how that goes. Theres a local plant farm that closes on
Mondays and Wednesday and that doesnt make sense to us. Of
course this plant farm actually goes over to Louisiana to buy
plants from a big wholesale place and thats not how we want to
do things.
Signage, advertising, business cards. State regulations. Dept. of
the Comptroller. Dept. of Agriculture. Do we want to ship plants
out of state? Will we be delivering plants to customers? Do we
guarantee our plants? On and on and on. One of the best books
we have read was given to us by a very dear friend, it's So You
Want to Start a Nursery by Tony Avent, of Plant Delights Nursery.
The book addresses the basics of the nursery business in a
thoughtful and oftentimes humorous way and we highly
recommend it, its a very good read.
The adult moth, sometimes
referred to as a "sphinx",
"hawk", or "hummingbird"
moth, is a large, heavybodied moth with narrow
front wings. The moth is a
mottled gray-brown color
with yellow spots on the
sides of the abdomen and a
wing spread of 4 to 5
inches. The hindwings have
alternating light and dark bands.
Eggs of the tomato hornworm are deposited singly on both the lower and
upper surface of leaves in late spring. The eggs hatch in six to eight days and
are oval, smooth, light green to yellow in color, and measure 0.10 cm in
diameter.
Larvae are pale green with white and black markings (see photo), and
undergo 5-6 instars. The first instar is yellow to white in color with no
markings. Later instars develop eight white, lateral "V-shaped" marks. Ablack
projection or "horn" on the last abdominal segment gives the caterpillar the
name "hornworm."
Education & Research Committee Report
The caterpillar reaches the final
instar in 3-4 weeks, and is 3 1/2 to 4
inches when fully mature. Fullygrown larvae then drop off of the
plants and burrow into the soil to
pupate. During the summer months,
moths will emerge from pupae in
about 2 weeks. Moths emerge from
the soil, mate, and then begin to
deposit the eggs of the next
generation on tomato plants. By early fall, the pupae will remain in the soil all
winter and emerge as a moth the following spring.
Written by Diane Krny
Damage
So here we are, starting a little business thats had a name for
twenty years that I had dreamed of for long before that, but
thought would always be just a dream. We'll see what happens
next.
Last year I
read
somewhere
on a
discussion
group (I
think it was
BGI) that
someone
was using a cement mixer to make their own soil mix for potting
brugs and other plants. Hmmm what a great idea I thought.
Then early this year my DH decided to buy a cement mixer to aid
him with the brick wall he is building for my Victorian Garden. I
immediately commandeered the usage of the cement mixer to
save myself the hours of backbreaking mixing I do normally by
hand in my wheelbarrow. Well..I am here to tell you this is more
than a good idea..it’s a LIFESAVER or at LEAST a back saver!
Here is the formula I am using:
I purchased 6 yards of double ground Pine bark mulch –
delivered along with 4 cubic yards of WONDERFUL compost
from a local commercial grower. I covered both piles with large
tarps to keep them dry (important so it’s not so heavy to shovel in
pails and dump in the mixer).
My ratio of ingredients is a follows:
2 and ½ five gallon pails of bark mulch
½ five gallon pail of coir
1 heaping shovel of rabbit vermicompost
5 cans (I use an empty 64oz broth can as a
measure/scoop) of perlite
½ pan (I use an old 1 quart sauce pan) of Azomite
(volcanic clay mineral supplement)
½ pan (1 quart sauce pan) Kelp Meal
The above measurements yield enough potting mix to fill my 6
cubic foot wheelbarrow. I have only had the time to mix up about
15 batches of the mix so far this season…but I haven’t even
made a dent in my source piles yet.
The larva is the damaging stage and feeds initially on the upper portions of
leaves, leaving behind dark green or black droppings. The larvae blend in with
the plant canopy, and therefore go unnoticed until most of the damage is done.
Late instar larvae are capable of destroying several leaves as well as the fruit.
As the larvae mature in size the amount of defoliation increases, with the last
instar consuming over 90% of the total combined foliage consumed by all
instars.
Management Options
Cultural Control
Handpicking the hornworms from infested plants is a safe and effective option
in smaller plantings. Roto-tilling the soil after harvest will destroy many of the
burrowing larvae which are attempting to pupate. Tillage has shown to cause
up to 90% mortality.
Biological Control
There are many natural factors that help to control tomato hornworm
infestations. The egg stage and early instar larvae are often preyed upon by
various general predatory insects such as lady beetles and green lacewings.
Tomato hornworm
larvae are also
parasitized by a
number of insects.
One of the most
common is a small
braconid wasp,
Cotesia
congregatus. Larvae
that hatch from wasp
eggs laid on the
hornworm feed on
the inside of the
hornworm until the
wasp is ready to
pupate. The cocoons appear as white projections protruding from the
hornworms body (see photo, left). If such projections are observed, the
hornworms should be left in the garden to conserve the beneficial parasitoids.
The wasps will kill the hornworms when they emerge from the cocoons and
will seek out other hornworms to parasitize. Natural enemies, such as the
parasitic wasp that lays its eggs on the hornworm's back, are common. If
found, such worms should be left in the garden so the emerging wasps can
parasitize other hornworms.
made a dent in my source piles yet.
Another important natural enemy is the wasp,
Polistes spp. (Hymenoptera: Vespidae) This
common wasp kills and feeds upon a large
portion of the larvae, and will also attack
cabbage looper and other garden caterpillars.
Bacillus thuringensis, or BT (e.g., Dipel,
Thuricide), is also considered very effective,
especially on smaller larvae. Spray it as a
precaution.
Chemical Control
I start the
mixer up and dump each pail into the mixer and let her mix for
about 2 minutes. Out pours the most beautifully mixed, light fluffy
soil mix… PERFECT..and soooooooo much easier than mixing
and mixing by hand with a shovel with limited success in getting
an even mixture.
I HIGHLY recommend y’all keep your eye out for a used cement
mixer and save yourself oodles of time and effort.
I’m tellin you this method is the BOMB!
Gardeners are advised to examine plants
frequently from early July into August for
hornworm eggs and small caterpillars, and to begin control measures as
soon as young larvae are observed. Again, for small plantings and early larval
infestations, hand-picking of larvae is effective. Gardeners should also watch
for parasitic wasp activity. Hornworms can be controlled with carbaryl,
permethrin, spinosad insecticides. Read the label carefully before using any
insecticide.
Pollen Bank Update
Written by Delisa Harvey
Introducing Contessa
Written by Paul Phillips
It seems like I have had
this beautiful
Brugmansia forever. Now
it finally has a name. I
could not think of a name
that was worthy, so I
posted a contest in the
last issue of "The Buzz".
This is from a seed I
grew from Ludger
Schneider. Charleston x
Kaskade.
Once again Tallgrass has donated some of that great vulcanicola pollen for
members. It is going fast to the lucky members living in cooler regions or to the
daring in warmer climates.
I want to thank our most recent pollen donors:
This is a beautiful
perfectly formed
champagne colored
double with wonderful separation of skirts.
Thank you so much Brandy (jumpin4joy) for coming up with the
perfect name. It is a regal and elegant flower with a wonderful
rosey fragrance. I will start rooting you your plant as promised.
Wayne Flowers (Wayneyboy)
Amy (tallgrass)
Gary Morales (xeriscape)
Members ask me about
the pollen bank and how
much space all of that
pollen must take up. It’s
really not that much
space if you organize. I
use some containers
that have worked very
well which were bought
at a building supply
store. This kind of
container helps organize
and keeps the pollen
tubes from getting mixed
Concrete Leaves
Written by Edna Murphree
After
watching a
show about
concrete
leaf
castings,
and reading
a few
articles, I
came up
with a
method that
works well
for me. It is
very easy, and the results are so rewarding. They are beautiful in
the garden as sculptures and birdbaths.
Supplies needed:
Flat plastic container ( I use a kitty liter pan )
together.
To view the new pollen bank click here
Welcome Mat
Written by Paul Phillips
It sure has been an interesting
spring/summer here. Did we
really ever have a spring this
year?? It started hot and humid
in the high 90 to 100's here for
me in PA. Things seem to be
getting back to normal, Brugs
Flat plastic container ( I use a kitty liter pan )
leaf with large prominent veins ( hosta, rhubarb, castor bean,
etc. )
latex gloves ( concrete can burn your skin )
large wooden spoon to stir mix
plastic material ( I use old big plastic bags )
sand ( I use play sand )
cement (Portland)
water
Work Area:
You need a
sturdy work
area. I use a
3'x4' piece of
plywood. Cover
this area with a
piece of plastic. I
take 2-3 bags of
play sand and
wet it enough so
that the sand
can be made in
to a mound in
the middle of
your work area.
Make a nice
smooth mound,
and keep in
mind that the
taller your mound, the deeper your finished product will be.
Concrete recipe:
2 parts sand
1 part dry cement
water
Now the fun begins. Pick your leaf, and trim it's stem. I suggest a
small leaf to begin with. Take your leaf and lay it top side down
over your sand making sure your leaf fits. Remove the leaf, and
cover sand mound with plastic. Put leaf topside down over the
plastic.
Knowing how much concrete mix to make is kind of guess work
until you have done it a few times. If you want a thick leaf for a
birdbath you will need more mix, if you want a thin one it takes
less. I would try 4 cups of sand and 2 cups of cement for your
first attempt if you have a medium size leaf.
~put your dry
ingredients in your
flat pan and mix well
with wooden spoon
~add water very, very
slowly until the
consistency is that of
mashed potatoes
~with gloved hands,
start putting concrete
in the middle of the
leaf
~work from the
middle to the edges,
patting gently
~stop just short of
the leaf's edge
~cover with plastic
paper
~let dry 3-4 days
~gently put your hand under the concrete leaf and turn leaf over
~you can peel your leaf from the concrete
~let it cure for a week or so
~if you want color, dilute latex paint with water and brush on
HAVE FUN AND EXPERIMENT. THAT IS THE BEST WAY TO
LEARN !!
The pictures
include leaves
made from
are starting to bloom. Alittle late I
think.
Welcome Mat
I just wanted to say hey, and
welcome to the 14 new members since the last issue!
Welcome abristle, psuhort, imagerlus, starupgesten, merida, catstar,
Plantworks, ueberwinden smokymist, trubshaw, TrishAnn, floridaangel,
purpleorchid and iiiitara.
I hope I did not miss anyone. I just want to remind new members that you are
invited to check out the seed and pollen bank. You are entitled to 3 choices of
seed, and 4 choices of pollen every 3 months. Just give the bankers a few
weeks before selecting your choices on the forums, as we are updating the
forums, and we don't want to miss your choices. If you are chomping at the bit
to plant or pollinate, you can e-mail Mary for seeds at This e-mail address is
being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , and
Delisa for pollen at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots.
You need JavaScript enabled to view it .
Keep on posting! Great to have you all here! Happy Growing!
Let's get things Blooming
Written by Cindy D
The secret to getting things to
bloom is definitely in the
fertilizer’s numbers. Like
people, plants need food also.
Fertilizers are a combination of
nutrients that the plant uses,
along with water and sunlight,
to produce their own food.
A20-20-20 fertilizer will contain
20% nitrogen, 20%
phosphorous, 20%
potassium. Nitrogen promotes
vegetative growth,
phosphorous promotes
flowers, fruit and root growth., potassium helps to build a healthy plant. These
three are the macro-nutrients and are the most important of the nutrients. Your
plants will also need Sulfur, calcium, and magnesium, which are the
Secondary nutrients . They also need Boron, cobalt, copper, iron, manganese,
molybdenum and zinc, these are the micro-nutrients .
March is usually the time to start feeding your trees and shrubs.
• Evergreen trees and shrubs, including rhododendrons, camellias, azaleas,
juniper cypress and broad-leaf evergreens, are fertilized with a rhododendrontype fertilizer.
• Deciduous trees and shrubs, which includes fruit, flowering and shade trees,
roses, lilacs, forsythia, etc. are all fed with a rose or general garden-type
fertilizer. Deciduous refers to trees and shrubs that lose their leaves during the
winter.
• Perennials, annuals and vegetables are also fertilized with a rose or general
garden fertilizer.
There are always exceptions to the rules, but there are not many.
Always read the directions on the fertilizer before using it. Please never apply
fertilizer to dry soil, as it will damage the roots. If a dry fertilizer is used, always
water thoroughly after each application,
As a general rule of thumb.
Annuals and roses should be feed once a month, throughout the growing
season. Use a rose or general garden fertilizer to feed them
Rhododendrons, Azaleas, Camellias, Junipers, Evergreens, etc. should be
feed twice a year, once in March and again in June. Use a rhododendron type
of fertilizer to feed.
Vegetables, use a general all-purpose garden fertilizer to feed. Mix fertilizers
into the soil before planting. Feed again once plants are established.
To encourage a plant to produce flowers you can simply apply a fertilizer that
contains a small percent of nitrogen, a large percent of phosphorous, and a
small percent of potasium. Most of these will be named as bloom boosters.
You will find many different numbers. Choose the one that is right for your
plant.
Examples:
made from
hosta, castor
bean, yellow
squash, and
rhubarb.
15-30-15
4-10-7
2-45-28
Now let’s get those plants to growing and blooming!
Editors Note:
Concrete
Leaves were
also discussed in the June 2007 issue of The Buzz. Photos here
were contributed by Edna Murphree (Edna) and Matthew Gore
(pietrafolium).
Gardening for the Zebra Longwing
Written by Delisa Harvey
Family: Brush-footed Butterflies (Nymphalidae)
Subfamily: Longwings (Heliconiinae)
Beekeeping 101
Written by JT Sessions
There have been literally
hundreds of books
written on beekeeping
and I have read most of
them over the forty seven
plus years I have been
keeping these
fascinating insects. So
the problem here isn't
lack of information but
rather what to include
here to avoid information
overload. With that in
mind, I decided on a brief overview, with a look into one of my
hives and some print and electronic resources for those who
want to learn more.
The first thing every beginner wants to know is, "will they sting
me?" The short answer is yes, but remember, they only sting to
protect their hive or themselves. If you find one visiting your brug
blossom you can feel completely safe. She is only after nectar or
pollen to carry back to the hive. The nectar is used to produce
honey and the pollen and some of the honey is used to feed the
young bees. The surplus honey, that over and above the amount
needed to maintain the hive, is what is harvested for our use.
We are all familiar with the main hive product, honey, but there
are other valuable things there as well. The natural wax is used
for candles, and a host of other things like metal casting,
cosmetics and important stuff like the coating on Jelly Belly jelly
beans. It locks in the flavor. Propolis is that glue that the bees
use to stick all the hive parts together. It's made from buds of
resinous trees and is harvested for use in medicines. Royal jelly,
the food of young queen bees, is harvested for sale as a health
tonic. Then there is the venom from the bees stinger. This is
used sucessfully to treat some arthritis and rheumatism. That
one works. I use it on my fingers and it keeps them pain free.
Finally, and most important of all, is pollination. Each year
thousands of colonies of bees are trucked all over our country to
pollinate melons, almonds, berries, apples and...well you get
the idea.
So, are they disappearing? What about pests and diseases?
Most threats we know how to handle. In the past there were
American and European foulbrood to contend with but the use of
terramycin, as a preventive, has just about wiped them out. Next,
along came tracheal and varroa mites from Europe and Asia. We
now have those pests under control in our managed colonies.
The wild colonies continue to die. Now we have something
called "colony collapse disorder". It's been blamed on everything
from cell phone towers to stress from moving. Commercial bee
keepers have lost thousands of colonies and no one seems to
know the answer. We will find the answer, and the remedy, or we
will be like Buffalo Bird Woman and get used to living on corn,
beans, squash and sunflowers.
Now, let's look
at the parts of
the hive and
then take a
look inside.
This picture is
of the
Zebra Heliconian also known as the Zebra Longwing is the Florida state
butterfly. It is also much loved in
my garden and is one of my
favorite butterflies. Zebra
Longwings are very long lived by
butterfly standards and live for a
few months compared to a few
weeks of other butterflies. One
possible reason for the extended
lifespan is the ability to digest
both nectar and pollen.
Surprisingly, the Zebra Longwing
is the only butterfly known to have
this ability.
Due to the long lifespan, this butterfly is
enjoyed much longer than others in my
garden, in fact all year. After the more
tender plants are frozen back the
Russelia sarmentosa is a hotspot with
its red tubular blooms lasting
throughout the winter months.
The Zebra Longwing lives off of nectar
and pollen while in the butterfly cycle,
but the caterpillar or larval cycle lives off of passiflora. These are called host
and nectar plants and you need both for butterfly life cycles.
In my garden the Zebra Longwings
love cestrum and anything in the
Genus Jatropha. At this time there
are mainly Zebra’s in my garden
but later in the year there will be
more Monarchs, Giant
Swallowtails, and Gulf Fritillary’s. I
am always on hunt for more host
and nectar plants for the coming
months.
Member Profile
Written by Alan Hurstwood
Alan Hurstwood
Hello, hopefully lots of you know me by
now (Hurstwood) Alan from the UK, the
guy who is always asking questions and trying to get stuff in the UK. I live in a
of the
complete hive.
Starting from
the bottom you
have the
bottom
board.In my
case the hive sits on a couple of concrete blocks. Wealthy bee
keepers use a cypress or metal hive stand. Next, going up, is a
deep hive body. This is where the queen lives and the young
bees are raised. There are usually two of these but notice on my
hive that a medium depth honey super sits between the two hive
bodies. This was placed there earlier to give the queen more
room to lay eggs. She can lay up to 1500 eggs per day during
the peak season. Toward the top, are more medium depth
supers for honey
storage. At the
top are an inner
cover and a
telescoping top
cover.
small town in the North West of England called Burnley, its about 40 miles
NNE of Manchester. I am married to Bryony, and we have a crazy Siberian
Husky called ‘Ice’. I work for National Grid the Gas and Electric distribution
company as a Safety advisor, I have worked for NG for 31 years and I am lucky
enough to work from home. My love of gardening started about 15 years ago
when I started growing exhibition standard vegetables. I competed first at local
level then county level then national levels with onions to 7.5 lbs, carrots 50”
long, parsnips to 60”, huge leeks and monster cauliflowers.
10
years ago I moved house and started
growing Border Carnations, these held
my interest for 2-3 years but I felt I had gone as far as I could with them and
only 1 flower a year per plant!!!
We place
frames
containing wax
sheets,imprinted with honeycomb pattern,to get the bees to
build comb where we want it.
This next picture
is a comb of
capped
honey,ready to
be removed.
Each super
contains 8,9 or
10 of these
depending on
the preference of
the beekeeper.
Finally, the
finished
product. I
removed, and
extracted, one
medium depth
super
containing ten
frames. This
yielded 18
pints of mixed.
wildflower
honey. This meets my needs so the bees get to keep the rest. If I
were selling honey I would have taken two or three times this
amount and still have left plenty for the bees. Now to see if I can
get Ann to make some hot biscuits.
For more information check out http://beesource.com or find a
copy of "The Art and Adventure of Beekeeping"by Harry and
Ormand Aebi
Last spring whilst visiting a local garden centre I was‘blown away’ with a plant
they had for sale, I went to ask questions but no one had any information about
Brugmansia. The plant was in poor condition, un-named and cost £20. I came
home and went straight online, found a couple of plants for sale on Ebay
(Green Dee Dee / Rob) and an interest was formed.. Athirst for more
information, lead me to BGI, then an addiction began. Volker Sanders was one
of the first people I ‘chatted’ to and eventually I purchased some great plants
from him (Thank you Volker) I had bought 3 other plants prior to Volker’s and
this was a flush on my Charles Grimaldi -->
I then started chatting to Eric ‘BelgianKnight’ (Dr Frankenstien LOL) who
pointed me to the UK seed bank (thank you Neville and everyone that
contributes to the seed and pollen banks). Constantly reading through the
threads started an interest in Vulcanicola’s, Sanguinea, Flavas and Arborea.
Typical of me, none of these were available in UK (why did I not get addicted to
daffodils ??? ). Through the threads I met Dawna (my Sang. Mentor) who sent
me seeds and also gave me lots of advice, and consoled me when my first
order of Flavs and Vulcans arrived and I didn’t know what to do with them !!!
Then Eric ‘BelgianKnight’ has stirred another interest regarding my Brugs,
hybridizing. Maybe that should be left for another BUZZ story ????
26th April Vulcanicola 'Rosa Lila'
B.Flava 'Lilac' 'Wildfire' and Vulcanicola 'Rosa
Lila'
First bud on my Sanguinea seedling
My first bloom of 2008
'Phanomenal'
Sorry to end this article with a list but I really have to thank a few members who
have been good enough to send me things or give me personal advice:Dawna :- Thanks for the seeds and tons of advice.
Paul P. Thanks for the seeds .
Home is where the Heart Is
Home is where the Heart Is
Maureen, Thanks for the seeds.
Written by Elva Hernandez
Brenda,Thanks for the seeds and my ‘contest win’ seeds.
No store
bought
salsa can
compete
with a fresh
homemade
salsa. The
ingredients for this salsa get fired up on the grill to add great
flavor and make a really great salsa.
Grilled Salsa
Ingredients:
8 medium sized, firm tomatoes, halves and stems removed
1 large onion, skinned and halved
2 jalapeño peppers
3 Anaheim peppers
2 tablespoons olive oil
juice of one lime
2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped
salt and pepper to taste
Preparation:
Combine olive oil, salt and pepper in a large resealable bag.
Add onion and tomatoes. Gently turn to coat. Place onions, cut
side down on a preheated grill over a medium fire. Grill until they
start to brown. Add tomatoes. Grill tomatoes until the skin can be
lifted off easily. Remove tomatoes and onions from grill. Finely
chop and add with remaining ingredients. Refrigerate until cool.
Steve ‘Down under’ Thanks for the seeds.
Neville Thanks for seeds cuttings and plants.
Green Dee Dee Thanks for the cuttings .
Teresa, Thanks for the seeds.
Delisa, Thanks for the pollen.
I hope I have not missed anyone who has sent me things. Abig Thank You to
every member who has answered my ‘million’ questions and to everyone who
contributes to this great site. I regard you ALL as my good friends. Have a
blooming great year!
Propagating the Hard to Root Iochroma
Written by Dawna Bernier
Iochroma cuttings can be taken anytime in the spring or summer during a
period of active growth. Fall cuttings can still be rooted but you will likely
encounter a higher ratio of cuttings rotting rather than rooting. Both softwood
and semi hardwood cuttings maybe removed from your plant for propagating. I
myself prefer to root the softwood cuttings. They seem to root at a much faster
rate and have a much faster growth rate when fully rooted.
Pasta salad
INGREDIENTS
1 (8 ounce) package small seashell pasta
2 eggs
2 ounces cooked ham, cut into thin strips
1 (10 ounce) package frozen English peas, thawed
1 cup shredded Swiss cheese
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup sour cream
green onions, chopped
1 teaspoon prepared mustard
1 teaspoon hot pepper sauce
1 teaspoon paprika
DIRECTIONS
Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and
cook for 8 to 10 minutes, or until al dente. Rinse under cold
water, drain, and set aside.
Meanwhile, place eggs in a saucepan and cover with cold water.
Over medium heat, bring water to a full boil. Lower heat and
simmer for 10 to 15 minutes. Immediately plunge eggs into cold
water. Let cool completely, then peel and slice.
In a large serving bowl, toss together the pasta, egg, ham, peas,
and Swiss cheese. In a separate bowl, mix together the
mayonnaise, sour cream, green onion, mustard, mustard, and
hot pepper sauce. Stir until well blended.
Pour 3/4 of the dressing over the pasta, and toss to coat
thoroughly. Spread the remaining dressing evenly over the top of
the pasta salad, all the way to the edge of the bowl. Sprinkle with
paprika, cover tightly, and chill 4 hours, or overnight for best
flavor.
Tropical Fruit Salad
1/2 of a medium pineapple, peeled, cored and cut into bite-sized
chunks 1 medium mango, peeled, pitted and cut into bite-szed
chunks 1 medium papaya, peeled, pitted and cut into bite-sized
chunks 1 medium red grapefruit, peeled, sectioned 1/2 cup
dried cranberries 1/4 cup KRAFT Light Mayonnaise 1/4 cup
BREAKSTONE'S Reduced Fat or KNUDSEN Light Sour Cream 2
Tbsp. sugar 1 Tbsp. orange juice COMBINE fruit in large bowl.
MIX remaining ingredients until well blended. Add to fruit mixture;
toss to coat. Cover.
REFRIGERATE several hours or until chilled.
When preparing to take your
cuttings, always look for nice
new healthy growth. Avoid
anything that shows signs of
yellowing or any growth with
insect infestation. I have found
that smaller is better with the
Iochroma cuttings. Usually I will take 3 to 4 inch cutting, nothing much larger.
After removing your cuttings
from the adult plant, remove
any of the bottom leaves on
the cutting. You should have
an inch of leafless stem. I
don’t remove too many of the
upper leaves. I’ve heard
comments on both, leaving
the leaves and removing the
leaves, and I guess it is a matter of preference. The leaves on an Iochroma are
not that large but occasionally you will have a plant with larger leaves than
others. If that is the case, I will clip the leaves in half. Cutting the leaves
reduces water loss from your newly removed cutting.
It is now time to dip your cuttings
in a rooting hormone. I have
found many to work, but I like
Hormodin 2, and I like the more
professional brands, but good
old rootone will work. After
dipping the cuttings in rooting
hormone and removing the
excess by gently tapping, you are
ready to put the cuttings in a
potting mixture. I use nothing
fancy for this job. Plain old vermiculite, nothing more is needed. There are
different grades of vermiculite, from fine to course. I have found myself this year
using the fine vermiculite. Not by choice did I pick this grade it was what I could
find. It works just as well as the larger grade.
Brugmansia Biology 101
Written by Steve Shore
Have you ever wondered why plant leaves go red and yellow in
fall?
What the scent of Brugmansia consists of and whether it is
possible to bottle it? What it is that makes Brugs poisonous?
Even today, a full understanding of these simple questions is
probably not fully possible, after all, scent is a fairly personal
experience and certainly poisons can be subtly different from
one person to another, especially in dosage.
You will no doubt be happy to hear that the scent from Brugs
does not contain the poisonous chemicals that the plant itself
has. Most flower scents contain two major components, with a
lot of minor ones. The two major components present in a lot of
different flowers, including Brugs, are chemicals called terpenes
(after the extraction of turpentine from trees). The relative
amounts of the components vary, and these even vary from
morning to night and also with flower age. There would be about
an ounce of terpenes (which give the smell) given off from a
billion flowers, in an hour. One of the minor ingredients is indole,
which is a chemical with many coats to wear. It is present in
perfumes in very small amounts, orange and brug flower scent,
in heavier doses in human faeces, and present in the human
body in other indolic guises as nerve transmitters. It is also a
precursor for the plant hormone used to root plants IAA.
Carefully place your cuttings in the
vermiculite and press the medium
around the stem so the cutting
stands in an upright position. I
thouroughly water my cuttings at
this point. The vermiculite is so airy
and drains so well you can’t over
water. At this point I take my
containers of cuttings and put them
in a flat. I then take the flat and put it
in a larger clear plastic bag. You
can use other containers for this
but I like the clear plastic bag. When I am done with my rooting I can throw it
away. It’s clean and it’s disposable. I gently tuck the end of the bag under my
flat. This way when needed I can open the flap. I like a little air to go inside my
bag with my cuttings so it does not over condensate at times. It’s like a mini
greenhouse just for Iochromas.
Generally it is accepted that the flowers generate perfumes as
pheromone attractants for pollinating insects, so it is a bit
surprising that humans like the flower scent at all!
The problems really start if you decide to bottle the Brug scent,
as you might with roses or gardenias. It takes about 3 acres of
flowers to get about pound of ‘essential oil’ of lavender, roses
and jasmine. Brugs may take more, I am not aware of it having
been done with them. The ‘essential oil’ is somewhat different
from the true terpene fragrance, because the extraction process
collects a lot of other organic chemicals present in the flower
wall. The general process is an extraction of shredded flowers
using a solvent, which can be anything from butter to alcohol.
The ‘essential oil’ can then be used directly as a perfume. In the
case of Brugs, this collected portion will contain the expected
poisons in the plant flower wall. Having a perfume that smells
heavenly and also knocks your legs out from under you could be
difficult from an insurance point of view. The way to separate the
wanted terpene smell from the undesirables is to distil them
from the wax/oil material in a distillation still. The type used in
the Ozarks for whisky would do nicely; collection of the terpenes
at around 160 deg C should be OK!
The toxic components in Brugs are named atropines, mainly
scopolamine and hyscomine. These are the active ingredients
in Datura, as well as atropa belladonna. One of the things that
these chemicals do is to interfere with the electrical coordination
of muscles, so that people who intake these chemicals are
unable to move their legs or arms. They also cause dryness of
the mouth and itchiness of the skin. I have read that a poison is
only an overdose of a medicine, and sure enough hyscomine is
used to combat sea sickness, calming uncontrollable muscular
contractions and excessive salivation. This sounds like me
when my sanguinea flowers - nice to know the antidote is so
close.
A
similar
type of
The cuttings are now placed in
a location where they are not
receiving direct sunlight. My
favorite hiding spot is in the
greenhouse under a plant
bench. I might water these
cuttings once or twice while
they are rooting. The vermiculite placed in the plastic bag keeps just the right
moisture content.
Of course at about 2 ½
weeks I pull a few cuttings
up out of the vermiculite to
see what’s happening. At
about this time you will
start to see little white
nubbies and a swelling of
the lower part of the
cutting that is placed in the
vermiculite. Once you have
the white nubbies it takes approximately 2 more additional weeks and you will
have a container full of roots and some nice healthy cuttings ready to be potted
up.
I have found personally that with this method 95 percent of my cuttings root.
Occasionally I will have a cutting turn to mush but not too often. If your timing is
correct with the plant being in active growth and you have the ability to acquire
healthy cuttings you are on the road to success.
extraction process can be used to obtain the colour, or plant dye.
The most historically interesting is the indigo and woad plants.
I might also add; it took me a long time to find a method that worked. I have
tried many different types of rooting strategies for these hard to root beauties.
Our Florida gardener Liz helped me discover this propagation method. This is
a method that she had found to work. It is the easiest and most reliable
method, I must agree.
Woad (Isatis tinctoria) has been cultivated since the 10th century,
in Europe, and was the best blue dye for cloth. Being a
cruceriferous plant it impoverishes the soil, and the popularity of
the dye often caused hardship due to starvation. The dyeing
process involves storing the plant stems in lumps, grinding
them and then fermenting the paste formed. In England woad
production was banned within several miles of the Royal palace
because of the horrible stink the fermentation caused.
By the 18th century indigo had replaced woad because the blue
was brighter and more lightfast. Indigo came from India, America
and China, in huge volumes, about 45 million pounds in 1775.
Also from India came Indian Yellow. This lovely dye is made by
feeding cows solely with mangoes, and then evaporating the
cow urine down to a powder. Unfortunately this diet is not too
good for the cow!
There are four main pigments in plants, green from chlorophyll,
reds and yellows from caretinoids (from the red carrot, from
which they were first extracted) and the blues and purples from
the flavinoids group. The fourth pigment is a light sensitive one
which is involved in seed dormancy and the rate of growth of
plant limbs.
All four pigments are in the leaf structure and collect energy for
various purposes from sunshine. They also protect the leaves
from sunburn. The green chlorophyll dominates, giving green
leaves. It does appear unlikely, but of all the dyes, green was the
most difficult to achieve in the middle ages.
As fall approaches, with shorter days and lower temperatures, in
the deciduous plants the withdrawal of chlorophyll is initiated,
leaving the red and yellow caretinoids, with some blue from the
flavinoids. Everybody, except Australians, then gets the sheer
pleasure as the colour in the forest changes. We in Australia,
with few deciduous trees, have the same green all year.
Flower colour can be affected by soil type and acidity. Morning
glory for instance, is a reddish purple flower when very young,
changing to dark blue later, as the flower changes from acid to
alkali. Perhaps the most intriguing flower colors are those
known as chimeras, which can get violent changes such as
stripes or ‘flames’ on each flower. The cause of this is due to the
two colours belonging to completely separate genetic materials,
either due to grafting or mutation .The most famous of these are
the tulips of Holland, which have the flame extending into the
main flower colour. These mutations were unpredictable and the
cause unknown in 17th century Holland, giving rise to
tulipmania, where individual plants were worth a fortune.
There are cases of humans being chimeras, sometimes
creating very difficult social circumstances. These days perhaps
the best known chimera plants are the African violets and those
peculiar lemons that look like fingers.
The further I delve into plant biology, the more that I see the
similarities to human biology. I suspect the ideology of being a
vegetarian is likely misplaced!
Newly Introduced Brugs
The following cultivars have been registered from April 1st 2008
to June 30th, 2008
Asst. Editors note.
This works wonders!
Here is a pic of my
success after reading
Dawna's article.
'Savoy Truffle ' - 04/08/2008, H - Volker Sanders, SP Elizabeth Fichtl *
'Amazon' - 05/19/2008, H - JT Sessions, SP - Al Maas
Please refer to the BCRA for all currently registered cultivars.
Officers Profile
Written by Maureen Smith
Maureen Smith
Canadian Vice President
I was born and raised in Toronto, Canada growing up in the 50's
and 60's when kids could play outside till the lights came on
without a worry in the world, those were the good old days. I am
the eldest of 5 kids and the only single, my younger siblings are
all twins. I work as a medical administrator in a hospital here in
Toronto and like many of you my hobby is gardening, primarily
growing Brugmansia and other varieties.
As far back as I can remember I have always appreciated God's
gift in the beauty of nature especially beautiful flowers. On
summer break from school I would wander down to a small
creek near my house to hangout and pick wild flowers with a
girlfriend of mine. My first real gardening memories go back to
Mr. Noble a retired gentleman who lived next door to the house I
grew up in.
Every summer I'd see him putting in his flower gardens and his
beloved strawberry patch which always fascinated me.. Every
time I went out to play I would see him in his backyard so I would
wander over to watch him and ask questions, of course I wanted
to help. Many times when the other kids were playing on the
street I would be in Mr. Noble's backyard getting my hands dirty.
The following summer he challenged me to plant my own little
flower seed garden in my backyard, my Dad agreed and all
these years later I can still remember the joy I felt when those
little seeds came up and grew into beautiful flowers, from that
time on I was hooked.
Of course the years flew by like they do, I got married and had 3
wonderful children which kept me busy for many years with not
much time to spend out in the garden. As the children grew older
I found myself with more free time to putter around outside and
this is where I tell you how I came to find my first Brugmansia
plant about 10 years ago.
Every spring I'd go browsing at the local garden centers looking
for something new and exciting, different from the usual varieties
I would plant every summer. It was on one of these outings that I
came across a rooted cutting in a plastic wrapper displaying a
picture of a toddler standing in front of this absolutely gorgeous
potted plant loaded with huge yellow blooms, some of them
were the size of the child's head. It guaranteed the plant would
flower like the picture and would grow to be that size in only a
couple of years. The only name on the wrapper was “yellow
BRUGMANSIA”. I brought it home and sure enough it was 5' by
the end of that summer and in full bloom, the lovely fragrance
was a complete surprise.
Not knowing anything about my new discovery other than it had
to come inside for the winter I decided to cut it back in the fall but
I just couldn't bring myself to throw out the cuttings so I stuck
them in water placed them in a sunny window and within a few
weeks the jar was filled with roots, I was amazed at how easily it
rooted, another surprise. Of course I planted the cuttings kept a
few and then over the years began to share them with friends
and family. The following spring I was out looking for another in
one in a different color but couldn't find any. Fortunately 2 years
later at the same location I found a pink on again only called
“Pink Brugmansia”.
Last year I Googled “Brugmansia” on the Internet and came
across Brenda Delph's Seedsprout website. In my excitement
and curiosity of finding another Brug enthusiast I emailed her a
bunch of questions and purchased my first Brugmansia seed.
Brenda kindly answered my questions and directed me to BGI
explaining how the seed bank and forum operated, I joined that
week and placed my first seed bank order. I want to take this
opportunity to thank Brenda for sharing BGI with me.
Since then I have been a regular visitor to the BGI forum always
learning something new and wonderful about growing
Brugmansia from knowledgeable and friendly people that share
my passion and new addiction. Afew months ago I was deeply
honored to be asked to represent my fellow Canadians as
Canadian VP and look forward to getting to know many of you
better in the days ahead.
Happy spring,
Maureen
©2010 Brugmansia Growers International
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