Angel trumpets (brugmansia)

flopsy wrote:

Are there two types of Angel Trumpet? I looked at pictures of Datura and Brugmansia , and mine looks like Brugmansia.

Hi flopsy ~ To address the first question first, Smile

yes, Datura and Brugmansia are very similar, and are, in fact, related.
Until not too long ago (sometime in the 1970's, I believe)
they were all classified as Daturas.
Before that, Brugs were usually called "Tree-form Datura" or "Datura trees",
I think that is still the case in much of Europe.

One of the easiest ways to tell the difference is that
Brug plants tend to grow upright with flowers that hang downwards,
whereas, most Datura plants are more shrubby/spreading in form
and the flowers are held at a more upward angle.

I've heard both of these plants referred to as "Angel Trumpets"
(one of the reasons I rarely use common names is that they can cause confusion).
On the other hand, some folks call Brugs "Angel Trumpets"
(their trumpets facing downward as if they might be blown by angels above)
and they call Daturas "Devil Trumpets"
(their trumpets facing upward, as if from below)

I live in zone 8 too, and my white Brugmansia trees are herbaceous perennials, here.
They die back to ground level after a couple of hard freezes,
then sprout up new when the weather gets and stays warm enough in the spring.

But, it is my understanding that not all varieties are of the same hardiness,
so only this year am I testing several other varieties for hardiness in my garden.
To hedge my bets, so to speak, I have made sure to keep some small rooted cuttings indoors,
just in case I do lose those which I planted outdoors to the elements. Wink

flopsy wrote:

Should we break off the now dead "trunks" and cover the soil with straw or some other mulch? Thanks again!

Your Brugmansia "trunks" may not be dead yet, mine are still quite healthy,
even though a couple of them are leafless already.

Wink

I only mention this, because if the bare stem is still firm,
and green beneath the thin outer layer
(scratching gently with a fingernail will show this),
you could still take a cutting to propagate an "insurance plant" for yourself.

If that isn't a project you care to take on, then,
yes, you can go ahead and cut the main stem back and mulch.
For my outdoor plants, when they have gone fully dormant,
I will prune the stems back to a length of about 4 inches.
**note - I usually give the cut end a couple of days to callus before
adding any mulch over the top, I worry that the freshly cut end
could be more susceptible to rot.
Then I will mulch them heavily, to keep them dark and cool
so that they don't break dormancy if we happen to have a warm spell.

glendann wrote:

I did some cuttings so I will be sure to get my Burgs back.

Yep, "insurance" is what I call 'em and when spring comes,
if I find that I don't need 'em, I've got plants all ready to trade. Mr. Green