Wednesday, June 13, 2012

Angel Trumpet and Naked Lady


Here are some naked ladies growing in the yard next to the fish market. Except these aren't so naked because they have greenery at the same time they are flowering. Gary said they were modest. Ha.


Normally the leaves die down and then the flowers emerge straight up from the soil on a tall stem, hence the common name naked lady, a variety of amaryllis. These are the brightest color naked ladies I've ever seen, almost hot pink.


The other day we went by a neighbor's house and saw these pink angel trumpets, or brugmansia. All parts of this plant are highly toxic if ingested. The flowers are fragrant in the evenings and attract pollinating moths.


The person whose yard these were growing in said the bees love the flowers and after sipping their nectar they fly away weaving, apparently the plant is somewhat toxic to them as well. He also said these are very easy to root by taking a branch and putting it in sand where it will readily take root. Thanks for reading and for all your comments.

11 comments:

  1. Lovely flowers and the naked lady is not naked *smile*. Have a great day.

    Hugs
    Elna

    ReplyDelete
  2. Ooh...those are just beautiful! Great pics!

    ReplyDelete
  3. I love all the beautiful flowers in Florida, you are so lucky to live there!

    ReplyDelete
  4. One of my friendly neighbors has some Brugmansia growing in her front yard, she's told me I can take some cuttings to root but I've not done it yet. Now you're inspiring me.

    ReplyDelete
  5. I've grown Naked Ladies in pots very successfully. Lost them several years ago when I forgot them in an early winter. I don't think I have seen that color; it's gorgeous.

    I also grow Brugmansia in pots. Wish it were possible to winter it over (too poisonous to have in the house), but I do grow it as an annual, again in pots. It's one of my favorite summer plants. Last year I had a double that ranged in color from a deep violet to a light creamy lavender. I use ground chili powder to animals away from the plants.

    ReplyDelete
  6. I wonder if the bees "get a buzz" from the toxic nectar, will the honey also be toxic?

    ReplyDelete
  7. We raise a large number of honeybees and there are many toxic plants that they can collect nectar from; they do not use nectar to make their honey so the honey is not toxic. The bees use the nectar as an energy/food source that they eat themselves. Honey is made naturally by the bees and is the medium they use to keep their pollen from spoiling (pollen is their protein food source), which is why honey will keep forever. They do not collect pollen from those same plants, which would turn the honey toxic.

    ReplyDelete
  8. I would be afraid of the Angel Trumpet. There have been cases of kids experimenting with them. I would think it would be like having a swimming pool with the liability.

    ReplyDelete
  9. those are real beauties- love them.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Hi Elna, thanks, they are so happy looking, never saw them in flower with the leaves too.

    Hi Turquoisemoon, thanks, just had to show you.

    Hi Michele, thanks, great weather except summer. Ha.

    Hi Lori, thanks, careful where you decide to plant it since it is poisonous.

    Hi Ms. Sparrow, thanks, read the next comment apparently Julia has let us know all the ins and outs about it. I think they do get a buzz. Ha.

    Hi Julia, thanks so much for all the info about this.

    Hi Patti, thanks, yes I think I'd be afraid of it too for fear some small child would eat it accidentally.

    Hi Meredith, thanks, they are wonderful aren't they, the first vibrant, the second soft looking.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Hi Suzi, thanks, amazing what you grow in pots, we are using pepper spray to keep the squirrels out of our vehicle engines because they tend to sharpen their teeth on the wiring and that can be costly.

    ReplyDelete

I love suggestions, questions, critiques, thanks for your comment