In article ,
Magwitch writes:
| I've just bought a Datura (about 1m tall - nice plant). I know they are
| tropical evergreen plants that need lots of light but no frost. Would an
| unheated but usually frost-free greenhouse do for over-wintering or would I
| need the plant inside (in which case there'd be a not so much light)?

Yes, but they can take VERY little frost. Mine got killed in an
unheated polytunnel, but this is Cambridge. Keep it dryish in the
winter.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

In message , Nick Maclaren
writes

In article ,
Magwitch writes:
| I've just bought a Datura (about 1m tall - nice plant). I know they are
| tropical evergreen plants that need lots of light but no frost. Would an
| unheated but usually frost-free greenhouse do for over-wintering or would I
| need the plant inside (in which case there'd be a not so much light)?

Yes, but they can take VERY little frost. Mine got killed in an
unheated polytunnel, but this is Cambridge. Keep it dryish in the
winter.

Are you sure it was absolutely dead. I have had D. meteloides
occasionally over winter outside in N Yorkshire. Everything dies back to
the roots and then starts again in late spring. In an unheated
greenhouse in Belgium I had one that lived for 5 years in a raised bed.

Worth noting that they are fairly poisonous plants. The perfume from a
couple of flowers will fill a greenhouse and hover flies love them.

Regards,
--
Martin Brown

In article ,
Martin Brown wrote:

Are you sure it was absolutely dead. I have had D. meteloides
occasionally over winter outside in N Yorkshire. Everything dies back to
the roots and then starts again in late spring. In an unheated
greenhouse in Belgium I had one that lived for 5 years in a raised bed.

Yes. It was a late datura. Etc. The pots froze solid, as would
be expected for several days of even a mild (but continuous) frost.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

I've just bought a Datura (about 1m tall - nice plant). I know they are
tropical evergreen plants that need lots of light but no frost. Would an
unheated but usually frost-free greenhouse do for over-wintering or would I
need the plant inside (in which case there'd be a not so much light)?

Nick Maclaren muttered:


In article ,
Magwitch writes:
| I've just bought a Datura (about 1m tall - nice plant). I know they are
| tropical evergreen plants that need lots of light but no frost. Would an
| unheated but usually frost-free greenhouse do for over-wintering or would I
| need the plant inside (in which case there'd be a not so much light)?

Yes, but they can take VERY little frost. Mine got killed in an
unheated polytunnel, but this is Cambridge. Keep it dryish in the
winter.

Thanks I'm relieved about the watering - the greenhouse is my Dad's, 4 miles
away!

On 11/9/04 13:03, in article , "Magwitch"
wrote:

Martin Brown muttered:

Worth noting that they are fairly poisonous plants. The perfume from a
couple of flowers will fill a greenhouse and hover flies love them.

The scent is just heavenly. When I went around the corner of our house to
the terrace the first evening, wow! My mother used to live in Jamaica and
some friends of hers had a courtyard full of them... imagine. I'm going to
get a few more next year.

Here, they seem to release their scent at about 5pm, so it must be to
attract whichever moth or butterfly is around then in their original
habitat. We have a huge Brugmansia in the largest greenhouse and it almost
overcomes you at that time. It's a shame it waits until then because most
of our customers have gone!
--
Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.co.uk
South Devon
(remove the weeds to email me)

Martin Brown muttered:

Worth noting that they are fairly poisonous plants. The perfume from a
couple of flowers will fill a greenhouse and hover flies love them.

The scent is just heavenly. When I went around the corner of our house to
the terrace the first evening, wow! My mother used to live in Jamaica and
some friends of hers had a courtyard full of them... imagine. I'm going to
get a few more next year.

"Sacha" wrote in message
k...
On 11/9/04 13:03, in article ,
"Magwitch"
wrote:


Here, they seem to release their scent at about 5pm, so it must be to
attract whichever moth or butterfly is around then in their original
habitat. We have a huge Brugmansia in the largest greenhouse and it
almost
overcomes you at that time. It's a shame it waits until then because most
of our customers have gone!
--
Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.co.uk
South Devon
(remove the weeds to email me)

Now there's a project for the plant breeders, get the brugmansia to
scent earlier and while they are at it how about some ipomeas that flower
all day :~)
I have now moved our brugmansia to the kitchen door way which is normally
open at maximum scent time, its certainly one of the things worth waiting
for!
--
Charlie, gardening in Cornwall.
http://www.roselandhouse.co.uk
Holders of National Plant Collection of Clematis viticella (cvs)

On 11/9/04 16:51, in article ,
"Janet Baraclough.." wrote:

The message
from Sacha contains these words:

snip
Here, they seem to release their scent at about 5pm, so it must be to
attract whichever moth or butterfly is around then in their original
habitat. We have a huge Brugmansia in the largest greenhouse and it almost
overcomes you at that time.

:-)

I read, but can't remember where, that mothers in the tropics used to
put wakeful babies under the plants to sedate them with the narcotic
scent.

I've certainly heard that they're soporific but not heard of them being put
to that use!
--

Sacha