Angel Trumpet Plant

Botanical Name: Brugmansia x candida

Angel trumpet plant boasts big, trumpet-shaped flowers all summer and throughout fall.

Give this tropical evergreen warmth, humidity and plenty of sunlight to thrive. A sunny window, greenhouse or sunroom is ideal. You can scoot your container to your sunlit porch or patio for the summer, if you want. (Those magnificent flowers are extremely fragrant and may be overpowering indoors.)

This twining climber has vining stems densely covered with dark-green oval leaves. Scrolled flower buds emerge in summer at the tips of stems and open up to white, pink or yellow trumpet flowers that can grow to 10 in (25 cm) in length. Some newer varieties have 2 colors and double blooms.

Train your plant. Provide a trellis to support its vigorous, climbing stems and to show off those glorious pendulous flowers. Use plant ties to hold each vine in place. Tie them loosely so that you don't restrict growth, and re-tie vines as they grow.

Caring for Angel Trumpet Year-Round

Make it bloom. Put angel trumpet plant in a sunroom or by a sunny window. Moving your plant outdoors for the summer will give it more blooming power. A sunny spot is ideal. Just be sure to bring it back inside before the temperature drops below 50°F/10°C at night.

Repot in spring. This is one of the few flowering plants that grows well in a large container. Move it up 1 pot size every spring as necessary. Use a pot with drainage holes to prevent soggy soil which can lead to root rot.

Give it a winter rest. Angel trumpet vine is tropical, not hardy so keep it at room temperature. Although it's evergreen, growth will slow down over the winter. Stop fertilizing and water sparingly in winter, but never allow the soil to dry out completely.

Prune it back. Angel trumpet plant is a vigorous climber. If you want to control its size, prune it back after the flowers have faded -- by half when necessary. Angel's trumpet flowers at the tips of new vines, so you'll get more blooms this way. During the growing season, cut off spent blooms to encourage new growth and more flowers. Use sharp pruners to cut just above a leaf axil.

Check for bugs. Watch for spider mites and treat any infestation immediately. Maintain high humidity to help deter these pests that prefer dry conditions.

Is Angel Trumpet poisonous? YES. All parts of this plant are extremely poisonous. Keep it away from children and pets, and wear gloves while handling it.

Yellow Angel Trumpets. Image by Angelafoto / istockphoto

Angel Trumpet Plant Care Tips

Origin: Hybrid with parents native to subtropical South America

Height: Give angel's trumpet plant plenty of space. It grows up to 6 ft (1.8 m) in a container, and spreads about as wide.

Light: Bright light to full sun. Give it at least 4 hours of direct sunlight each day.

Water: Water thoroughly spring through fall. Cut back on water in the winter, when growth has slowed.

Humidity: This South American native likes humid air; aim to maintain 50% relative humidity or higher. Use a humidity tray or cool-mist room humidifier to raise the moisture in the air around it.

Temperature: Average to warm 65-80°F/18-27°C. This subtropical plant doesn't like the cold at all. It will tolerate a minimum of 50°F/10°C in winter.

Soil: Good-quality potting mix specially made for container plants

Fertilizer: Feed every 2 weeks spring through fall with a high-phosphorus water-soluble fertilizer diluted by half.

Propagation: Take 3-4 in (8-10 cm) stem tip cuttings in early spring and root them in moist soil. Propagating the cuttings requires a heat mat for best results.

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