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Texas Gardening

Keeping and Cultivating Datura?

16 years ago

Ok, so thanks to the spiffy folk here on Gardenweb, I've identified the spooky-white night-blooming flower near my house as a wild white datura, not a moonvine as I originally thought. It's gorgeous, so I'd like to help it if it needs it, and collect some seed pods to sow so it will come back.

However, I want to make sure I'm developing a blessing instead of a curse. (I found out about that process the hard way with the $%@#&! purslane.) Is this a good plant to keep around? What do I need to be wary of? What conditions does it like?

Thanks so much!

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Comments (6)

michellesg
16 years ago
It's a wonderful plant. It can grow huge but cuts back easily and dies back during freezes. You can propagate it easily by cuttings, just stick them in a pot and water well. They like to be fertilized a lot (I think tomato fertilizer is used)to get good flushes. And be warned, it is a poisonous plant, both leaves and flowers.
pjtexgirl
16 years ago
Mine is neglected on the side of the house. It comes back every year bigger,with more blooms(tons) and is gorgeous. I never fertilize BTW. PJ
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cynthianovak
16 years ago
I think they like some fertilizer too. My white is planted near the roses, but in the heaviest soil in my garden...red clay stuff. Nothing else likes to grow there in the summer, but these come back.

Since they are next to some roses I'm sure they get some fertilizer. All the rain this year brought some nitrogen with it too.

In the last 3 days we've had over 80 flowers from a plant that has literally falled over the curb and the flower branches are on asphalt.

Problems: they will reseed, but the young sprouts are easy enough to kill; they are poisonous, don't want your children playing with them.
prairiepaintbrush
16 years ago
hmm... we have some where I work and they have been very determined to stay short, puny and slightly yellow despite all efforts.
mommyfox
Original Author
16 years ago
The soil around here is sandy and acidic (strangely enough), and that particular spot gets a lot of topsoil added to it because the water washed down the street to that ditch. I bet it's actually a pretty fertile spot.

I wonder how it would do in different sun areas ... the spot it's in now is pretty dappled shade, under a massive oak.
melvalena
16 years ago
Datura:

They do much better with more sun. But part sun is ok. I've never fertilized mine and whack 'em back when they take over neighboring plants or get in the way of paths.

They are also called moon flower bush.

The moon flower vine is something else.

I have both.
I'd like more of the colored datura ones but don't have the space for them.

One thing I don't like about them, (datura) is they look pretty ugly during the day. At night they are so awesome! I never noticed any fragrance until this year I happened to pull in the drive way late one night and that plant was positively glowing! Its branches and flowers were standing up and reaching for the sky. I was amazed and went over closer to it and wow... they do smell nice. I dragged hubby out there to see and smell it. I wish had the space and sun for it on my patio. :(

During the day that plant doesn't look or smell very appealing to me at all. About this time of the year keep your eyes open for those green tomato worms. They devour the leaves --will strip a huge bush in 24 hours. The bush will not die, but it will look pretty bad until the leaves grow back out... by then we'll be getting a freeze and it will die back to the ground. Next spring it will come back and there will also be bunches of little babies all around where the branches reached to the previous year.

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