by giant datura
We have a spot next to the front door where we keep a planter of seasonal flowers. This past spring we bought a tall blue glazed ceramic pot to replace the ancient rotting wood one. Filling the tall pot with a rich mix of soil and compost, I put in a jasmine vine, red pelargoniums and yellow sanvitalia. It looked lovely as it bloomed away.
Sometime later I noticed an interesting looking volunteer peeping out, not a weed I thought so I left it to see what it would be. It did not take long to grow bigger and bigger with leaves twice the size of my hand. I suspected it to be a datura, but I’d never seen one this big, as if it was on steroids! The poor pelargoniums are so shaded that they hardly flower anymore.
Recently a flower emerged, a large creamy trumpet pointing up, with a faint tropical sweet scent, and I knew it to be a datura, possibly the the inoxia species.
The golf ball sized spiky fruit is fascinating, isn’t it? And look at this tiny visitor.
One gardening site stated that compost is not a fertilizer, only a soil amendment. Hrrmph, I thought, not so. I grow good tomatoes with only compost and now this monster plant is further proof! I think the writer was just interested in selling their fertilizers.
I wonder if the mail person is getting worried that this monster plant will come out and grab him one day as he reaches around it to push our mail in the slot, heh.
These interesting stories about the myths, magic and medicinal uses of datura top it all for me.
September 7, 2007 in Being an Artist, Home, Neat stuff by Marja-Leena
What a beautiful flower and plant. If you get seed, save them for next year.
That’s some plant – and all a lucky accident. The flower looks almost ceramic.
Cathy, I got some datura seeds from a friend many years ago, and grew some. I saved the seeds. This year I decided to grow some again, and those ones are tiny in comparison. This one must have come from some seed that survived composting! I will be sure to save some seeds from this one.
Anna, it looks even more unreal in the photos. We just came in from an evening walk, and I could smell the most heavenly fragrance from it. So it’s a night siren.
Jack and the Beanstalk!
Your datura is rivalling our massive cycad!
Daturas are very cool (but cycads, it must be said, are even cooler).
Erika and Dave, Indeed, and I’d love to try growing a cycad! Say, Dave, do you know what this little bug might be? It’s very tiny, smaller than a ladybug.
My goodness! Another blog-incidence
Only the other day The Someone and I were gazing in awe at a Datura and wondering if we should buy it because it looked so ‘untouchable’ almost
Thank you for the link, it is amazing!
Mouse, you must get one – it would be quite the conversation piece at your parties!