21.07.2023 - 22:21 / awaytogarden.com

brugmansia, iochroma, papyrus and more, with bryon martin of logee’s

I CALLED BYRON MARTIN of Logee’s Greenhouses for his advice on some begonia questions, and then—like plant-mad people are inclined to do—we quickly ricocheted from the genus Begonia in the Begonia family across the taxonomic landscape to another world. We landed on a couple of showy Nightshade family or Solanaceous plants, specifically Brugmansia and one of its smaller-scale cousins I’d never even heard of.

As our conversation took that unexpected turn, from Begonia to Brugmansia and beyond, apparently my plans for what I’ll grow in pots in the garden this summer shifted, too. Long-blooming brugmansias in a range of colors—some not so big as the traditional types I’d known, and even one that makes a good big basket (top photo)—sounded really good. Other gems from South America and South Africa, some with hummingbird-attracting flowers and others (like Papyrus) just exciting for it’s form and foliage, caught my ear, too.

Byron Martin of the famed Logee’s retail and mail-order nursery in Connecticut was my guest on the May 2, 2016 edition of the public-radio show and podcast, and he’ll probably shake up your idea of annual color as well.

Read along as you listen to the May 2, 2016 edition of my public-radio show and podcast using the player below. You can subscribe to all future editions on iTunes or Stitcher (and browse my archive of podcasts here).

brugmansia, iochroma and more: a tropical q&a with byron martin

Q. Shall we start with Brugmansia–the angel’s trumpets? I have to confess I haven’t grown one in a long time, but it looks like there are some interesting colors and other developments in the catalog.

A. Brugmansias have been around for a long time, and in recent years there has been a bit more hybridization done

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