Some good flower reading

THE GARDEN FANATIC

“Listen, little Eli ... and I’ll tell you a story.”

-- F. Scott Fitzgerald

“I would suggest that barbarism be considered as a permanent and

universal human characteristic ...”

-- Simone Weil

During a trip to Latitude 33, Catharine spotted “100 Flowers and

How They Got Their Names” and brought it home for my perusal. Garden

writer, Diana Wells, has selected a number of our favorite flowers

and explains how we came to know and love them. She recalls myth and

legend, sex and botanical history -- the kind of stuff that should

interest every garden fanatic.

I became intrigued by Wells’ claim that Thomas Jefferson was

afraid to plant Angel’s Trumpet (Datura or Brugmansia) in Monticello.

An avid gardener, the former president was astonished by the plant’s

fascinating tubular flowers. However, “he avoided Angel’s Trumpet and

other poisons plants,” because his curiosity of growing it was

outweighed by its potential risk to his many grandchildren.

Angel’s trumpets are New World and Indian plants that possess

beautiful, variously colored trumpet-shaped flowers. The plant is

ornamental, and although the leaves and seeds of certain species

yield alkaloids with medical and narcotic properties, it should be

considered poisonous.

Wells states that “Indian thugs once used Angel’s Trumpet to

poison their victims, and it was officially used to execute criminals

in India.”

She adds that the Swedish botanist, Linnaeus, did not wish to use

the “barbaric” Indian name of “dhat” for the plant, “so he modified

it to the Latin root of dare [to give], because datura was

administered to those whose sexual powers were weakened.”

“The herbalist John Parkinson called daturas Thorne-Apples,”

according to Wells and he admonished visitors that “the East Indian

lascivious women perform strange acts with the seed ... giving it to

their husbands to drink.” Wells notes that Parkinson “didn’t

elaborate on the acts.”

The Angel’s Trumpet of our local gardens is closely related to

“Jamestown weed” or its better-known western alteration of

jimsonweed. Wells recounts “soldiers sent to Jamestown to quell

Bacon’s Rebellion in 1676 ate datura leaves, thinking they were salad

greens.” They became intoxicated for eleven days and nearly died,

according to local legend. Datura does contain the chemical compound,

scopolamine, an active ingredient in combating motion sickness.

Angel’s Trumpets are fashionable in Laguna, where they can become

dominating shrubs. Fast and rank growing, the flowers are available

in white, pink and yellow (the white flowers are very showy in

moonlight and all colors are fragrant at night). The blossoms appear

in mid-spring and will bloom as late as December in sheltered

gardens.

Although Angel’s Trumpet will grow in full sun or partial shade,

it appreciates shelter from the wind. It is a heavy user of water and

food (use a balanced fertilizer) during the spring and summer. Watch

out for white fly and spider mites during humid, warm periods. As a

reminder, the flowers and seeds may be poisonous if eaten.

I appreciate Catharine’s gift to me. The book is a wonderful

source of flower stories to share. But I must say, when Joe Weider’s

Prime Fitness & Health (a guide to getting in shape for the man over

51) appeared recently on my side of the bed, she struck a nerve. I

finished a pint of chocolate sorbet just to calm down. See you next

time.

* STEVE KAWARATANI is the owner of Landscapes by Laguna Nursery,

1540 S. Coast Highway in Laguna Beach. He is married to local artist,

Catharine Cooper, and has three cats. He can be reached at (949) 497

2438, or E-mail to landscapes@ln.coxatwork.com.