Sunday, June 24, 2012 / Author: Sommer Gardens / Number of views: 20798 / Comments: / Article rating: No rating To kill or not to kill? That was the dilemma I was faced with the other night when I spotted this giant treefrog clinging to the shade cloth on my greenhouse.I'm not a big fan of killing things, especially beneficial creatures like treefrogs. But then again, the size of this frog and the large toe pads made me think it may be a Cuban treefrog. The Cuban treefrog is an invasive species of treefrog that is colonizing Florida. It will eat practically anything that will fit in its mouth, including our native ... Categories:Creatures Tags:cuban tree frogtree frogtreefrog Read more
Friday, June 22, 2012 / Author: Sommer Gardens / Number of views: 10934 / Comments: / Article rating: No rating One more Angel Trumpet heads to my watch zone I have lots of beautiful yellow and orange Angel Trumpets in my watch zone and now one more will join the group. The cross is Brugmansia ('Color Point' x 'Angels Flight') x 'Langenbuscher Garten'.The blooms are large and beautiful in form. One feature that sets these blooms apart from others is the two-tone coloration of the corolla skirt. As you can see in the photo below, the ribs are much darker than the mid section. This is especially noticeable on the outside of the bloom.This ... Categories:BrugmansiaSeedlings Tags:Angel Trumpetangels flightbrugBrugmansiaColor PointLangenbuscher Garten Read more
Tuesday, June 12, 2012 / Author: Sommer Gardens / Number of views: 10910 / Comments: / Article rating: No rating A perfect hiding place This little guy seems quite content in his protective steel home, a piece of emt pipe supporting a sprinkler. With the contrast between the colors of rust and bright green, he may be safer perched on a nice green brugmansia leaf. Categories:Creatures Tags:brugmansia.tree frog Read more
Friday, June 1, 2012 / Author: Sommer Gardens / Number of views: 7103 / Comments: / Article rating: No rating A pastel Angel Trumpet just in time for summer I'm really liking the pastel coloring on the Angel Trumpet blooms pictured below from a cross I made between Brugmansia 'Joli' and 'Pink Charm'.I'm excited about the multicolor look of the blooms as they mature. They first start out a cream color and then during the course of a couple days they turn a salmon pink color. The blooms pictured here opened a day apart and you can see the color transformation taking place. This plant also had a newly opened cream colored bloom on it, but it was ... Categories:BrugmansiaSeedlings Tags:Angel TrumpetbloomsbrugBrugmansiajoliPink Charm Read more
Sunday, May 27, 2012 / Author: Sommer Gardens / Number of views: 10384 / Comments: / Article rating: No rating Could this be classified as a brown noser? When I was out on armadillo patrol the other night I finally spotted a green tree frog amongst my Brugmansia plants. I think it has been at least a month since I have come across a green tree frog, which is really strange. Normally I would spot several on my nightly rounds through my Angel Trumpet jungle.I was talking with a gardening friend of mine yesterday and she had also had observed a shortage of frogs on her property. Perhaps it is related to the severe drought we are in right ... Categories:Creatures Tags:Angel TrumpetBrugmansiatree frog Read more
Wednesday, May 23, 2012 / Author: Sommer Gardens / Number of views: 8231 / Comments: / Article rating: No rating Sleeping beauty While out pollinating the other night I stumbled across this cute little ball of feathers. I was surprised that even though I was just inches away, the little guy did not flinch at my movement and multiple flashes. If you look closely you can see a lone eye keeping tabs on me.If it was not for the beak being visible in the photo above, you would have a hard time figuring out where this bird's head was. The photo below was taken on another day and I'm not even sure if it is the same type of ... Categories:Garden Pests Tags:birdsBrugmansia Read more
Tuesday, May 8, 2012 / Author: Sommer Gardens / Number of views: 8796 / Comments: / Article rating: No rating Brugmansia Orange Sunshine x New Orleans Lady Here's a nice double white Angel Trumpet seedling that grabbed my attention the other day. It is from a cross I made between Brugmansia Orange Sunshine x New Orleans Lady.I like the fact that it has nice separated skirts. The blooms are also thicker in texture which helps them hold up better in our Florida heat. This seedling has gone through several bloom cycles and so far the blooms have remained snow white. I feel this seedling is worthy of watching so I'm going to carry it over into ... Categories:BrugmansiaSeedlings Tags:Angel TrumpetbrugBrugmansianew orleans ladyORANGE SUNSHINE Read more
Tuesday, May 8, 2012 / Author: Sommer Gardens / Number of views: 9636 / Comments: / Article rating: No rating A double dose of lemon in a beautiful new Angel Trumpet One of the more promising double yellow Angel Trumpets in my watch zone is this seedling from a cross I made between Brugmansia Lemon Twist x Lemon Meringue.The lemon yellow double blooms are medium in size and long lasting.So far the plant has remained compact and pest free. I will be moving it up to a 10 gallon size pot soon and it will be interesting to see if the plant responds and grows taller, or if it will remain compact.Another great trait of this seedling is that the bloom color is ... Categories:BrugmansiaSeedlings Tags:Angel TrumpetbrugBrugmansiaLemon MeringueLemon Twist Read more