This toad is the first line of defense against any creatures that may want to feast on this batch of recently sowed Brugmansia seeds.He has a confident "don't mess with me" look that is certain to scare unwanted visitors away.  My toad population appears to be rebounding this year so hopefully they will help me keep the snails under control this summer. 

The birds are out of control at my place this spring.  I left the windows down in my truck yesterday afternoon and evening and guess what I found this morning.....a half built birds nest!In that short period of time they managed to fill my ceiling console half full of leaves, moss and twigs.  An equal amount of debris were scattered on my seats and floor  Unlike the earlier nest that the birds constructed in my shade house, I had no problem getting rid of this one. :)

Here's a nice double pink Angel Trumpet I've been watching for a couple of years now.  It is a seedling from a cross I made between Brugmansia Pink Smitty x (Dark Rosetta x Super Pink).The blooms have great form and substance, and have held up well in our Florida heat.  I especially like the long corolla tube and the fact that the corolla skirts are not stuffed.  Stuffed blooms struggle here during our hot steamy summers and often end up rotting in the center before they have a chance to ...

Here is a promising new seedling from a cross between two classic European Angel Trumpet plants. The cross is Brugmansia Joli x Langenbuscher Garten.In late March I featured another seedling from this same cross.  Although the blooms were single, they stood out because they were petite and very thick textured. The blooms on this seedling were not quite as small as those of its sibling, but they still were smaller than average. The blooms start out cream with a tinge of apricot, and then ...

I have been trialing this Angel Trumpet seedling for three years now and I have decided it is time to make it a keeper.  The cross is Brugmansia Mountain Treasure x American Pride.  The blooms have great form, maintain their rich yellow color, and hold up well in our Florida heat. Add that to a fast growing, relatively pest free plant, and you have the potential for a winner. I have several second generation seedlings growing from crosses I made with this plant.  They are nearing blooming ...

Here's a nice double pink Angel Trumpet seedling that has been in my watch zone for a couple of years now.  The seedling is from a Brenda Delph cross of Brugmansia Genevieve x Rothkirch.I like the soft pink color of the blooms and the crazy corolla teeth. This seedling has been a consistent bloomer, always producing triple skirted blooms.The bloom color intensifies from what is shown in the photos. I took these photos when the blooms first opened.  Afterwards the blooms were sliced open for pollinating.

 

Next up on my soon to be named and registered list is this Angel Trumpet seedling from a cross I made between Brugmansia Pink Smitty and Lizzy.The blooms are medium is size and compact.  They hold up well in the heat and the plant has remained relatively pest free, all great traits to have in a new brugmansia. One feature I really like about this seedling is that so far the plants have remained below 6 feet tall.  In contrast, my Lizzy plants easily reach 8 feet tall during the course of a ...

This unusual bug has "don't mess with me" written all over it.  I'm not sure what it is, but it was somewhat aggressive towards me as it was resting on a brugmansia leaf.When I got closer, it curled it's body forward, scorpion style.  It was if it was preparing to sting me, or anything else that got too close. I was not certain if this was a beneficial or nuisance pest, so I let it be. It had a nice sized beak, obviously for sucking the juice out of something, either a plant or another ...