No apologies necessary over your enthusiasm! Remember who you are talking to - your fellow gardeners who totally dig you excitement over a plant, a seed, a sprout they crawl on their hands and knees with a magnifying glass late at night with a flash light in their PJs hoping neighbors would not spot them and call 911 :).
The flower looks very healthy and I can smell it from miles away! Congratulations! It is a great accomplishment! Enjoy!
~Natalie

Funny you should mention it. The old lady grouch that lives next door was on her back porch peeking over the railing trying to see what I was doing as I sat there hunched over with my nose pressed into the bloom. From her angle, she can only see that I'm bent over. She already thinks I'm insane. And she hates everything anyone does that changes the back of her yard. She told me last summer that I would need to remove the honeysuckle I planted on the chain link fence just 10' from my house. Yes, it is her fence, but it's not like she can see it. It took her almost a whole year before she ever walked to the back of her yard to say hello. And even then, she was coming to tell me about that vine. I bet the whole neighborhood knows I was walking through the backyard in my boxers.

When I started this bed, I thought maybe she would enjoy seeing flowers. Nope. She misses the old overgrown trees that filled this space. I have nothing against old ladies. Some old ladies are the best sources of inspiration and knowledge that I know of, like my grandmother. But this one, she's just a grouch.

Sorry for the rant. :)

What's something you're waiting for?

I have a silly question - do you know what it is? It looks fabulous, though sounds like it needs a WHOLE lot of room! So happy for you - by the way, I'm waiting for some greenery in my perennial bed to bloom so I can tell whether it's a weed. It's possibly Dame's Rocket or Garden Phlox. So I'm anxious to know whether to pull it.

Oh! And, direct-sow seems to always work doesn't it? I tried for years to get marigolds to flourish at our place - I don't know how many little four-pack annuals I planted over the years, but it was a lot, and never with any luck. Disappointing, because I always thought they were not very picky about where you put them. Anyway, couple years ago someone sent me a packet of seeds and I half-heartedly threw them in a sunny spot, lightly covered. Lo and behold, they were the best patch of marigolds I'd ever had at that place! LOL

Here is what you have to look forward to Token - 86 blooms - we have 7 of them around our yard and yes the fragrance is intoxicating

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Datura or moonflower shrub not to be confused with moonflower vine - both very fragrant and trumpet shaped and blooms at night. It is actually very poisonous.....

Lynne

It's datura inoxia.

Lynne, that is awesome. They do take a lot of space, which I have lots of, maybe not as much as I should in the white garden, but most of the plants will bloom next year. The nicotiana is tall enough to bloom through it I think. And the queen anne's lace should be a nice contrast with the large foliage and blooms of the datura. Shasta daisies will complete the ensemble providing brilliant white flowers floating above a sea of dark green, black on moonless nights. I haven't given this much thought. LOL.

I really wish now that I had planted my moon garden somewhere else. I guess I can move it this winter.

Lynne, do yours come back from seed every year or do they return from the root?

Mine are both self seeded and back from roots - they will die back completely every year - the self seeds I let stay if the placement is right other wise they get pulled. I have found that after 4 years they tend to go downhill but I always have new young plants to take their place and ones from seed will bloom the first year. THe plant in the picture was 3 years old when that picture was taken. It has since been replace by one a couple of feet to the right which is almost as big as that one. The first one didn't die - it was my choice to have one in a different place so I pulled that one when it started coming back in the spring ......

Lynne

I know just how you feel Tom. That is a wonderful scent, one of the nicest. I was just looking at my seeds this morning seeing what I want to plant and datura is definitely one of them. I still love gardenias though, just don't have any.

I'm going to be getting some seeds of a rare, tropical, highly scented, night bloomer and I can hardly wait. It's called 'Lady of the Night', Brunfelsia americana.

Enjoy, and don't pay any attention to the grouchy elderly lady.

FlowerLady

Your persistence paid off! Yay!

A couple of questions--is this shrub also known as Angel Trumpet or is that a different plant?

Is it hard to control once established? (like the most stupid mistake I ever made--actually buying and planting trumpet vine)

Does it like sun or shade? Is it drought tolerant or does it need a lot of water or somewhere in between?

Ok...that was more than a couple of questions. ;)

Sharon

Angel Trumpet is different. That's Brugmansia. This is Datura, obviously related but sometimes called Devil's Trumpet since the flowers point up.

Don't think it's hard to control. It seems to stay put where I gathered my seeds from, but they could be pulling volunteers I guess.

Mine in morning shade with afternoon sun is the one that bloomed. None are in full sun, however I collected seeds from a full sun specimen. All day, hot baking sun and I doubt he ever waters it.

I haven't given mine any supplemental water this year. I don't think they are as fussy as brugmansias.

They grow like weeds here! I planted a bed of them about ten years ago, and I've never had to replant them again. Their seeds blow in the wind and spread.

When you get the prickly balls, save them and dry them out and you can sprinkle them anywhere and they'll come up.

One thing though, I have never gotten a scent from mine! It must be my nose. lol.

Here's a picture taken last year, we didn't plant them, and they're mixed with morning glory, really pretty!

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I thought about mixing in moonvine with mine, but that seemed like overkill. I like the morning glories though. Wonder if I have any more knola black seedlings....

Token, I love the Morning Glory. Many see them as weeds, I don't. IMO, Morning Glory and Four o'clocks are the epitome of a "Cottage Garden." They're the most old-fashioned plants there are. Once you plant them and they come up, you never have to plant them again, and they do spread like wild fire, and blow across the yard and more will take root, but you can easily pull or spray them.

Ditto with the Moonflowers. Somehow a seed blew down the driveway to the mailbox and I never have to plant anything there!

We have barbed wire fence around the acre, and we got lucky one year because a bunch of the seeds "blew" to the fence and now the fence gets draped in them.

Talk about succession planting -- I have a white Datura up under a huge Ratibida, waiting for the Mexican Hats to dry up enough to gather the seeds, then down it comes so the Datura can show off. I thought I pulled it up last fall so maybe this is a seedling, but in exactly the same spot.

You only catch the fragrance at night, Oakley, like with nicotiana and petunias.

And, speaking of morning glories, Cypress Vine is coming up beside the little wattle trellis I made for them last year.

Nell

Beautiful flowers!! I was given some seeds and have datura that is supposed to be white and one that was labeled "double purple". I had nooo idea that they could getg that large!!! Very, very nice.

Isn't Datura a beautiful plant? I'm waiting patiently on mine to bloom and I'm hoping nothing eats the leaves. Last year I had to remove leaves left and right due to some pesky bugs.
Robin

Wonderful! Your excitement is great and so good to come and share it with us!

Cameron

Nice Datura. Mine comes back from the roots and seeds everywhere. I take care to remove all of the volunteers in the veggie garden, but otherwise I let it grow if it will not choke out something else nearby.

I'm lucky to have mine...I received seeds in a trade and started it several years ago. Only one seedling survived the cold spring but the remaining plant grew well. It was just about ready to bloom when one Saturday I had a surprise visit from a friend who brought along another woman. This woman was weird, weird....she kept on and on about the alignment of the trees and bushes for the points of the moon and where my gardens should be. She then proceeded to jump into my flower bed and quick as that she pulled up my cypress vines and had her hand around the Datura when I screamed bloody murder at her. She said "what, you don't want those weeds and this plant is poisonous." I told her I had PLANTED the vines and the Datura and had no intention of eating it and then I grabbed her out of my flowerbed and frog-marched her to my friend's car. I told my friend that under no circumstances was this person ever allowed on my property again.

Unfortunately, my friend hasn't visited again either because she decided that the wiccan way was cool and I was uptight.

-Granite, who is still uptight and gardening in NC with Daturas in my flowerbeds and unaligned with the moon and OK ABOUT IT

Tom, that is a beautiful plant and everyone, I have had the pleasure of meeting Tom in person - He's a sweetheart, with a wealth of knowledge and wonderful enthusiasm for gardening....

Pay no attention to that grouchy lady - what is her problem?

Carrie :0)

Oakleyok - I love your picture and love the idea of morning glory running through it. I am going to do the same thing now - Morning glory grows wild around here so that will be no problem ......

Lynne

Thanks Carrie. I wouldn't know anything without all the fine people here at GW. And books. I read lots of books on gardening. The Well Tended perennial bed is on my nightstand. Ever try to prune perennials in the dark?

...no, but I've chased rabbits in the dark ;0/

Darn.. I was smitten with this plant but it is not for my zone. Sure would be a nice one to have. Kudos to you for being so persistent in pursuing this little guy. It looks like you will be enjoying it for some time to come.

blue, where are you in zone 7? It can be grown as an annual. Mine were sown this year and have already bloomed. In fact, there are two new blooms out there now ready to pop on the same plant.

If I'm not mistaken, each flush comes about a week apart and should be twice as many flowers as the one before.

Love those flowers and I sure wish I could smell them here! Congrats and I'd be thrilled too if it were mine!
Joann

Dang token, what do you use for fertilizer? I started my datura a few years ago from seed and it hasn't flowered yet this year for me. I keep waiting.

I don't use fertilizer on them. They're planted where they get about 5 hours of hot afternoon sun. I built this bed in December. I piled leaf mulch on the clay soil and old roots from azaleas and god knows what else was back there. I tossed the seeds out and this is what I got.

Here's the same bed when it was created, and just this week.

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Aka - 'Jimsonweed'.

During the Revolutionary War, the starving militia at Jamestown ate Datura leaves out of desperation. They became very ill and tripped out big time for days! It was called Jamestown weed...and over time the name became Jimsonweed.

Datura likes to grow in hot, dry places and prefers sandy soil. They like access to water, but need good drainage. I guess that is why they grow wild along sandy river banks and valleys and down in arroyos.
Some catalog and nursery companies erroneously sell it as 'Angel Trumpet' flower, especially the purple and white one. Thus the confusion to some people. However, it should be noted that Brugmansia is commonly called 'Angel Trumpets, while Datura is known as 'Devil's Trumpet' - maybe because all parts of it contains an alkaloid poison. Perhaps they are aptly called Devil's Trumpet since they grow best in hot, forbidden places! :)

Growing up in So. California, Jimsonweed grew wild throughout the sandy valley of the Santa Margarita River. My family used to camp down there near the river in the summertime and at night the air was swimmingly filled with the sweetly intoxicating fragrance of their blooms. They were hell on bare feet though. When the moon was full, those 'Moonflowers' glowed like lanterns, which came in very handy when you needed to go potty at night and had to watch out for Diamondback rattlers! You do not want to moon a rattlesnake!.

I grew the white variety for several years. Still have seeds. I have photos of them somewhere. I was just as jubilant the first time they bloomed. I took gobs of photos. I have seeds for the purple and white variety too. I got them in a trade. They were labeled as 'Angel's Trumpets'. Just never get around to sowing them. (bad girl, BAD! )

Every year I tell myself that I am going to grow them and then always forget to do it in the spring rush to get my veggies going. You have all inspired me to dig them out and do it! Lord knows it is hot enough right now that they will love it.

Thanks for the post, Tom.

~Annie

Do it Annie. I can't wait for the next round of blooms. I got my chair ready for tomorrow night.

Tom,

You are such a riot!
I for one would like to see a photo of you sitting out there watching them bloom and sniffing the air. That would be great.

~Annie

Round two. :)

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Still waiting on the double yellow near the front door.

Annie, you have no idea. Every day I check each plant for buds. By July, the whole yard will be filled with these. I've transplanted a few seedlings here and there, some took, others didn't. Next year, lots more all over. I think I'm going to need bigger beds. :)

The double yellow will bloom tonight. It stinks. I hope that changes after sundown.

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Congratulations! I totally get! :) No apology necessary!

Estelle

Annie,
Great history about the name Jimsonweed!
I've got info you too. Daturas are Devil's trumpets because the flowers face up like the devils below are blowing horns, and of course Brugs are Angel's trumpets since the flowers hang down as if the angels above are blowing their horns downwards towards earth.
Remy