[Sidney Lanier]

Queen of the Night (and probably has other names as well) is a fair sized shrub that might grow to 6 feet tall that produces beautiful white trumpet-shaped flowers, about 6 inches long, hanging downward, with an absolutely incredible fragrance. We had first encountered them in Costa Rica and wonder if they can possibly grow in the climate around TV. Does anyone here have this plant by his/her house or know whether they can grow in this area? Many thanks!

[handieman]

I dated one once ;D

Oops sorry wrong queen and besides she had already been deflowered :redface:

Handie :joke:

[The Great Fumar]

Handi
You may be thinking of ELVIRA , MISTRESS OF THE DARK......
gee I miss her !!! fumar :-*

[renielarson]

Elvira, the 6' Mistress of the Dark mistaken for the deflowered Queen of the Night?

Nope, nowhere near my house!

Maybe Julia has seen her.

[Sidney Lanier]

Boy, you guys are a big help.... '-)

[handieman]

Originally Posted by Sidney Lanier

Boy, you guys are a big help.... '-)

I'm sorry Sid :'(

Anytime you put Fumar and me in the same conversation, it's going to turn into sheer nonsense

Handie :joke:

[Donna]

You guys are nuts..Poor Sid cannot get a straight answer...
:

[The Great Fumar]

Ok I'm sorry Sid.
Here's the scoop. The McQueen of the night is a very large flowering bush With bell shaped flowers that have a very delicious flavor , In Costa Rica its sometimes referred to as the Steve Bush with an aroma and taste of peanut butter.....They tried to bring it to Florida back in the "50's" but they didn't survive long as people were eating the blossoms ,,They were actually putting jelly on them , well you know the rest , they stuck to the roof of their mouths, and they quickly lost favor with the populous........They are very rare now in this country and they last I knew the only place you could find them was in PLAINS , GEORGIA......
helpful fumar

[Sidney Lanier]

Good grief, what am I doing here?... '-)

[samhass]

I think this flower is called Datura.

[samhass]

Hmmmmm..that has a right sassy ring to it!!

[renielarson]

My mind works in the oddest ways...
Datura...thought of ventura
Then...Ace Ventura
Now I'm truly lost!
And I'm not even a blonde.....

[Sidney Lanier]

I am giving up on this one.... '-)

[KathieI]

Sid, don't give up!!! You have Samhass and I here for you.

Sam, thanks, I couldn't find it under Queen of the Night (in the Sunset National Garden book, which is my bible), but I knew the description sounded familiar. The Datura (Angels' trumpet) grows very well here in SoCal especially near the more humid, ocean areas. Many of the species are native of South America. Can be grown in zones 16-27, or grow in pots. Evergreen shrubs that can be trained as small trees. Sun or shade and regular watering. BUT, MOST IMPORTANTLY, ALL PARTS ARE POISONOUS IF INGESTED, therefore, I won't grow any cause of my doggies.

Provide sheltered position as wind tatters the foliage. Expect frost damage, prune in early spring after last frost. Blooms summer and fall.

I personally love this bush/tree as it has a bizarre look with the trumpet flowers hanging upside down and when I first saw it, I immediately was attracted to its look.

Hope this helps, Kathie

and no smart arse remarks from Fumar and Handie, got it!!!

[Sidney Lanier]

Kathie, we're not familiar with the zones you mentioned. What zone are we here in TV? We first saw it in the cloud forests of Costa Rica, so that would fit with humid areas, and it was cultivated, not wild, and we wondered if it would grow here. Thanks for the info! Hope you had a safe trip back to CA, and we look forward to seeing you back here (though we go back up north in mid-April but will be back...)!