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Mutant in paradise... Mutant in paradise...

Mutant in paradise...

Last season I ramped up my brugmansia hybridizing efforts using brugmansias with mutant and deeply serrated foliage.  The results of those...

Fred's Garden Blog

After a nearly five year hiatus, Fred's Garden Blog is back! Now you can enjoy and experience the gardening exploits and adventures of Fred in his quest to hybridize brugmansia and keep his jungle and nursery under control.

Sommer Gardens / Tuesday, November 15, 2011 / Categories: Brugmansia, Seedlings

An Angel Trumpet that totally wowed me last night

Every so often a new Angel Trumpet seedling comes in to bloom for the first time and totally wows me.  I was wowed big time last night when I spotted this bloom on a Brugmansia Rosalie x (Pink Smitty x Miss Ellie) #1 seedling. 
rosaliexpinksmittyxmissellie1.jpgI was making my final rounds last night looking for blooms to pollinate almost missed seeing this one.  It was at the top of an 8 foot tall plant partially hidden by its giant leaves. Fortunately my bright headlamp illuminated the bloom face in passing and it quickly caught my attention.   

I was especially surprised when I checked the plant tag and saw the cross. Never in my wildest dreams would I expect to see a bloom like this from that particular cross.  It must have been the combination of the Rosalie and Miss Ellie genes that introduced the bright orange coloring. 

rosaliexpinksmittyxmissellie1-2.jpgThe pollen parent (father) of this seedling is an Angel Trumpet I grew out from a Brenda Delph cross involving Brugmansia Pink Smitty x Miss Ellie.  I had planned to name and register that seedling in 2009, but I nearly lost the plant in that winter's freeze.  I currently have it in production now and will be naming and registering it next month.  Here's a link to a previous blog post with photo's of  Brugmansia Pink Smitty x Miss Ellie #1.

rosaliexpinksmittyxmissellie1-3.jpgThis initial bloom was large in size and I like the way it is displayed in a semi-nodding position rather than pendant like many large multi-skirt oranges are.  The foliage was a deep, dark green and huge compared to other seedlings near by.  The plant itself was also large having a single stalk that towered at least 8 feet tall. 

rosaliexpinksmittyxmissellie1-4.jpgSeeing how this was the very first bloom on this seedling, I will be waiting with great anticipation to see what subsequent blooms look like.  I have found that it usually takes several bloom cycles for new seedlings with multi-skirt blooms to stabilize.  I'm not sure how this bloom could evolve into something better, I like it just the way it is.

rosaliexpinksmittyxmissellie1-5.jpgI know I have other seedlings from this cross yet to bloom, but I doubt any will surpass this one in beauty and form...but you never know!

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