August has been a very good month for angel's trumpets or brugmansia. Within in the next couple of days I may have over 100 flowers on one plant, something I've achieved only once before. Our cooler summer temperatures are part of the reason since brugmansias prefer temperatures between 60 and 75 degrees to produce buds. The other reason for this bonanza of flowers is the age of my plant, saved from last summer, it's every bit of 5 feet tall and wide.

My particular plant is Brugmansia 'Frosty Pink', a single pink and white that is floriferous and relatively easy to find, often sold as a generic pink. Each flower lasts a couple of days when temperatures are warm, as long as a week when it's cooler. Like many of the new hybrids, the bud may begin as yellow or white and change to pink as it opens. I find that this particular hybrid is from Brugmansia versicolor, one of only seven species and native to Ecuador. All seven species are native to South America, tropical and therefore happiest with daily watering's (and feedings) in the summer months.

Best growth is often achieved when they're planted in the ground. Truth is they are very top heavy in a container. My plant is in a raised bed, four feet wide, filled with rich compost. When it comes time to save my plant for next year, which should be done when temperatures dip into the the high 40's, I will cut back the branches and pot it directly into a large tub. Brugmansia can be stored in a dimly lit room, watered occasionally and checked for bugs. With minimal leaves, brugmansia can survive enough to plant again come late spring. I say minimal leaves because they tend to draw white fly and aphids, so instead of spraying, I just remove leaves that show signs of bugs.

Brugmansia is closely related to datura, both are poisonous, datura more so. The most obvious difference between the two is how the flowers are held. Brugmansia holds its flowers down, datura up. We have a naturally occurring datura, D. stramonium which has many common names, Jim-son Weed, Hell's Bells and Devil's Weed. The flowers are white flushed purple, small, not nearly as showy with subsequent purple, prickly, seed pods. It's been said that jimson weed is a derivation of Jamestown Weed, from early settlers ingesting the plant and suffering from hallucinations.

For me the joy of brugmansia comes from the strong night fragrance which is best in August, the month with the most flowers. It's the time of year when our gardens can be tired and dry, matched only by our own desire to see summer come to an end. For me, summer could go on and on because each night gives me a reason to celebrate.