A Brugmansia isn't an oak tree. What you see above ground, as far as spread is concerned, is somewhat larger than the root spread under ground. Brugmansia roots tend to be smaller and shorter than larger, established growth trees. Your foundation may be crumbling due to moisture, or any number of other causes - but I've yet to see a Brug so huge, and so well anchored that it could muster the power to take down a wall.

This is a rather aged thread, but I couldn't help but chime-in on it, because this has become a subject in our home. (I beg your forgiveness for resurrecting the dead.) Brugmansia (Angel's Trumpet), Datura (Devil's Trumpet), and notable others (Belladonna, ad infinitum) in the plant kingdom, have highly variable toxic/pharmacological affect upon the human body; as well as wildly varying concentrations of such substances, within their parts and on their surfaces, over time. As a category, humans vary widely in their susceptibility to the various alkaloids found in such plant specimens. Furthermore, individuals have a wide variation in their reactions to such substances over the course of any time interval you might be interested in examining. I would imagine age to be a huge factor in some cases. There is much misinformation being disseminated on both sides of the fence with respect to this issue toxicity/sensitivity. I, myself, have been working with Brugs for quite some time, now, and do not--for the most part--react adversely to any of the plant substances I have encountered. While I certainly don't ingest the plant or anything from it, I don't take what I consider to be paranoid measures to protect myself from being exposed to, or decontaminating myself after exposure, Brugmansia plant parts or secretions. I have had a single incidence of slightly blurred vision in my right eye after accidentally getting a dose of Brug sap in it. It was not much of an incident, if I may say so, and was--at most--a minor irritant to me for a couple of hours. I have had zero effect from wading into my Brugs with the pruning shears and getting my hands and arms covered in the plant secretions, along with a nick or cut--or two--on my hands and elbows. This is regular behavior for me, and I have not developed the habit of conversing with my toe nails or lady bugs. I do, however, react violently to things like malathion analogues and consumer-level defoliants; and cannot tolerate exposure to them for even short periods of time; so, I take far more care about avoiding manufactured chemicals than I would ever think about with respect to my Brugs, and I haven't many stories to tell as a consequence. Maybe I should type-up alarmist-toned messages, warning people not to ingest insecticides and weed killers, and spread them around the Internet? Naw....it's too insulting to the intelligence of the reader. In terms of credibility, the story attributed to the Y! group does have the overall tone of the Apocryphal alarmist tale--complete with the liberal use of the exclamation point for emphasis. It rings far more like a fabrication; woven from generally valid bits of common sense, and taken to the extreme; than it sounds like the narrative of an actual event. We all benefit from the application of valid common sense; which, admittedly, seems to be rarer these days that it was when I was a kid. Nobody benefits from histrionics--except, maybe, Snopes. "Hmm...methinks I am being fed some BS on the Internet."--WildCat I do have to agree.

I have an Angel Trumpoet vine. I say that because the plant never exceeds the height of 2 feet, yet spreads out as long as 4 to 5 foot branches along my flower bed. The flowers are white and only bloom at night. They make a large beautiful ground cover for a large flower bed or the side of the house. They are poisoness but none of my animals are interested. the trumpet vine is beautiful in bloom and attracts hummingbirds all year long. I've never heard of anyone or any animal being poisoned by one. Thank you.

If it's purple, then it's actually a Datura, aka Devil's Trumpet .... Brugmansia, aka Angel's Trumpet blooms hang downward, Devil's Trumpet usually point upward .... and there aren't any purple Brugmansia. Also, Datura seedpods are spikey and round, Brugmansia are long and bean-shaped. Datura are prolific self-seeders, and will come back in droves the next year unless you control the seed pods. Deadheading doesn't have much impact on reblooming in either of these plants, and the seed pods take quite a while to mature and split open. If you want to cut the bloom off once it's spent, you can .... Some people prefer the "neat" look. If you don't get to it right away, you'll have plenty of time to prevent it's seed explosion! ;) If you do get a Brugmansia, however, seed pods are a rare occurrence, and I personally wouldn't deadhead those. =)