Brugmansia’s are an exquisite plant with their ornate hanging flowers and lush green foliage, they would be on most gardener’s shopping lists. However, the highly perfumed flower can be hazardous to your health. Their hallucinogenic qualities, prized by South American medicine men, are also extremely poisonous and a trip could easily lead to death. These can even kill children if they try to eat them.

The Beautiful Brugmansia Flower (Angel's Trumpet)

So, while you may not rush and buy one if you have small children there would be a time when it would be okay to have these growing in a garden bed.

There are only 3 species of Brugmansia; B. candida, B. sanguinea (Red Angel’s Trumpet) and B.suaveolens. Not to be confused with the Datura family (Datura’s flower upwards, Brugmansia’s flower down) they share similar features including the hallucinogens.

Brugmansia is a rapid growing plant that can quickly enhance your garden. They grow as a shrub but can be trained to grow as a tree by progressively removing some of the lower branches. Make sure you stake your Brugmansia when you first plant it as the trunk is very brittle. If you want it to remain as a shrub then just remove the longer shoots over summer.

The key to growing Brugmansia is the climate. They don’t survive frost prone areas well so if this is the climate in your area you may want to consider growing them in a pot and bringing them into a greenhouse during the winter months. They much prefer warmer, more temperate areas and a climate that has low rainfall during the flowering season.

If you’re after more information on these plants check out Brugmansia Grower’s International.

Photo source: SuperFantastic