INTERPRETING THE LANGUAGE

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This morning I found my Angel Trumpet plant blooming for the first time this year.

It's a Brugsmansia that comes from South America.

Trouble is it speaks neither Spanish or English. But it has been trying to tell me something by it's appearance.

It's saying that it is not totally happy with it's environment and is stressed out.

Even though it is blooming it is not up to it's potential.

It's language is non verbal with the small yellowing leaves and stunted growth. It's said that over 90% of communication is non verbal. Don't believe it just ask any mother who can take one look at her child and know instantly that they are sick.



This picture shows what a happy Angel Trumpet looks like. Notice the difference?

The fact is this plant is from a cutting of the same plant as picture #1 that I gave to a friend several years ago.

Now to figure out just what is making my plant unhappy. Could be the sun. I moved it out into the full sun two years back when it wasn't growing well in the shade.

Maybe it's not getting enough nutrients in the soil. A distinct possibility with my South Florida sand.

Anyway I am taking a new perspective on some of my posts. An viewpoint proposed by one of my gardening blog friends a while back. None other than the Rose Maestro himself, Jim the gaudy gardener.

http://thegaudygarden.blogspot.com/

Jim suggested that most gardening blogs show only their successes and not their failures. I agree and figured out a long time ago that I learn more from what I do wrong than from what I do right.

I have also learned sometimes it's best just to shut up and listen.

So I am soliciting suggestions from anyone with experience with the Angel Trumpet plant.

What do you suggest needs adjusting to make this plant happy.




The Angel Trumpet is a cool plant and really easy to propagate from cuttings.

I have given away many new plants from this one bush.

Just cut the stem like in the picture and stick the stalk in the soil upright and a new plant will grow.

One word of caution. All of this plant is poisonous and can do nasty things to you or a pet if eaten. If you handle it best wear gloves and wash your hands often.

Some stupid folks intentionally eat parts of this plant or make tea from it to get high. Last time I was in Nicaragua a guide told me that it is a local custom for teen girls to drink tea made from the Angel Trumpet plant. The poison it contains causes their eyes to dilate which is supposed to make them more attractive. Crazy.

---sanddune--

NEW ADDITIONS

Several of the cuttings that I took on May 6 th have rooted and are ready to put out into the yard. This guy here is from my Angel Trumpet bush. I had to add the wire cage to protect the plants from my dogs who seem to derive great pleasure from trampling my new transplants.










This Croton plant was also made from a cutting that was taken and potted on May 6th. Both of the cuttings seem to have developed healthy roots and seem to be ready to face the elements on their own.


The Gardenia cutting didn't survive and the Bougainvillea is still green with some new growth but is looking kind of sickly. I planted the Bougainvillea out too hoping the added light will bring it back around.
Overall that is a 75% sucess rate with the cuttings experiment and I have three new additions to the garden pretty much for free.

This guy I planted out also just to see if it will survive and prosper here. It is an Unknown Swamp bush that I brought back from North Florida on Mother's Day. The original growth had shrivelled up and died . I kept it around instead of trashing it and was rewarded with this new sprout and growth. So I planted it, caged it placed it in the garden. We will see what happens with it. My wife seems to think that it is Poison Oak. Of course it is not Poison Oak, I hope.





This was my morning suprise today. My Park's Pearl hybrid Cucumber started producing it's first cucumber. I suppose they gave it the name Pearl because of it's whitish color. I will have to look it up to see how big it gets but its looking like salad is on the menu real soon.

---sanddune---
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