NEWSLETTER EXCERPT
Volume 21 #10
Summer-Fall-Winter 2002

 

  
GOTTCHA!

We stand corrected. We accused the Goddess Demeter of being the father of Persephone (an unlikely feat even in Greek mythology). Persephone was the daughter of Zeus and Demeter, the goddess of fertility. When Persephone was still young and beautiful, she was kidnapped by Pluto, the God of the Underworld. 

 

  

Pluto persuaded Persephone to eat a pomegranate, the death apple and this act would doom her to life in the Underworld. Demeter finally retrieved her daughter, but had to return each year to the Underworld for four months. When she left, the grains withered and the flowers died, but when she returned the earth was renewed
 Datura: Few plants can rival the late summer display of Datura. Every evening our dooryard is filled with a heavenly fragrance. The source - our datura plants. Each afternoon enormous 12", pure white trumpets unfurl. The flowers last but one day. The plant, however, is so floriferous that flower is followed by another the next day.

Our largest Datura is 5' x 5'. The gray-blue leaves are 6" long, heart-shaped and have a velvety texture. The stem is turgid and slightly pubescent. The plant branches naturally and forms a large vase-shaped shrub. Even if it never bloomed, it would be a lovely addition to any garden.

Datura metel is an annual in the Solanaceae (tomato family) and is native to the tropics and subtropics of Asia. It is now widely dispersed throughout the warmer regions of the globe. It should not be confused with our native Jimson-weed (Datura stramonium) a plant known for its hallucinogenic properties. Jimson-weed is smaller, the trumpet-shaped flowers are creamy instead of white and the leaves are pointed.

 

 Nor should these Daturas be confused with another genus in the tomato family - Brugmansia. The flowers of Datura species point up and Brugmansia flowers hang down. (Brugmansia is a long heavy word, hence the flowers are weighted down.)

To grow: Start the seeds indoors in March. We sow about 5 seeds per 5" pot, but any type of flat will do. The seeds germinate within a few weeks, but the seedlings grow very slowly. They can be transplanted to the garden after all danger of frost has past or into an individual container once they are 3-4" tall. They can be grown in full sun or partial shade. Ours growing in the shade are larger - this may be due to other factors.

The seedlings will limp along until mid-July when they suddenly take off and start growing by inches a day. Our Daturas self-sow and the seeds are said to be hardy as far north as Boston.. However, these seedlings frequently will not bloom in time to set seed. We always harvest some seed and start a few plants indoors.

You might try growing one as houseplant. It will require at least a 6" pot and plenty of space. But what a wonderful thing to come to after a long hard day at work - a home filled with fragrance and a gorgeous white trumpet to herald in the evening.
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