Are you ready to put some ooh-la-la into your flower beds? Are you just waiting for someone to ask, “Wow, what is that plant?” If you said, “yes” to either question, then be sure to add a few tropical plants like castor bean or angel’s trumpet to your garden this season! Not only are these plants easy to start from seed, they’ve got dramatic foliage, are quick growers and produce dramatic blooms in just a few months!
In spring, castor bean foliage adds a lush, tropical feel to a colorful flower bed.
Photo Credit: Jessie Saylor
Castor bean takes on gorgeous fall color at the end of the growing season.
Photo Credit: Felder Rushing
Angel’s trumpet blooms give off a heavenly scent at night.
Photo Credit: Sheri Ann Richerson
Now, you might be thinking, “Tropicals?! How can I grow them in my neck of the woods?” And the answer’s simple: When used as annuals, these beauties can fill a variety of roles in a flower bed. And if you get an early start and grow them from seed, they’re even more economical. So use them to temporarily fill in areas designated for perennials, trees or shrubs, and they’ll make a dramatic statement that adds a wonderful lush feel to your garden.
Castor bean (Ricinus communis) can be directly sown in the ground as soon as the last frost for your area is over. This beauty prefers full sun and grows approximately 6 feet tall and 3 feet wide, but it can get larger depending on the variety, fertilization and water received. And because this plant is quite drought-tolerant, it’s an excellent choice for Xeriscaping. Castor beans don’t need a lot of fertilization. Just use the average amount you put on your beds, and the plants will do just fine.
Typically, seed-grown castor bean won’t flower until late summer or early fall. If you want to collect seeds from this plant to sow the following year, simply allow the seed heads to dry on the plant. Once they’ve split open, just remove the seed, make sure it’s dry and then store it in an airtight baggie. Just be sure to collect it before it falls on the ground, where curious kids and animals can get to them – as pretty as this tropical is, there’s a big warning that goes along with it: Castor bean produces a protein called ricin in its seed, which is extremely poisonous! Be sure to take extra care that no person or animal ingests it!
Another great tropical is angel’s trumpet (Datura inoxia). Also known as devil’s trumpet, jimson weed or thorn apple, this pretty plant is easy to grow from seed, gives numerous blooms the first season and fills the night air with an intoxicatingly sweet fragrance.
Angel’s trumpet prefers sun or part shade and requires quite a bit of water. But under the right conditions, this beauty will grow 6 feet tall and 3 feet wide in one growing season! For the best results, the plant should be started by seed indoors in March. A word of warning: Because all parts of this plant contain an alkaloid toxin, it’s wise to wear a good pair of gloves and wash your hands thoroughly to protect yourself.
To germinate angel’s trumpet seed, place it in a damp paper towel, seal it in a plastic bag kept in a warm, dark spot, then check it daily. Once you see tiny roots, pot the seedlings up into a seed-starting mix. Be sure the seed is just barely covered with soil. Because angel’s trumpet is a fast grower, plan on potting it up several times before you plant it outside.
When your angel’s trumpet is ready to be moved outdoors, take it step by step to condition the plant. Start by moving it to a shady spot outdoors for two hours the first day. Then lengthen that time every couple of days for two weeks. By then your plant will be ready to stay outside for the remainder of summer.
Once your angel’s trumpet has made its official move outdoors, you’ll find the plant’s flowers attract all kinds of butterflies, bees and birds that you’ll enjoy buzzing about your garden. Just be sure only to plant this beauty where you want it to grow because it can become an invasive weed in some areas and will oftentimes self-sow. To avoid this problem, either cut the faded flowers off, or, if you intend to save the seed, cover the spiny seedpods with panty hose or something similar so the liquid inside the seedpod can drain before the pod is removed.
Unlike castor bean, angel’s trumpet loves water. During summer it can be watered up to three times per day! And don’t forget the fertilizer – the easiest way to feed this plant is to put 1 inch of a time-release fertilizer in the top of the pot, then mix it into the soil. (But don’t fertilize when your plant’s just a seedling – wait until it’s in a large pot, and be sure to water daily [at least] when you do fertilize.)
If you’re looking for an incredible plant to give your garden that “ooh-la-la” effect, consider either of these beauties. Under the right care and with a few precautions to protect you and yours from the plants’ toxins, your yard can blossom and grow into an amazingly lush, tropical getaway in just one season – and it’ll definitely make the neighbors take a second look!
