I have 10 different brugs & 5 have buds. C. Grimaldi has 2 ready to open & 9 more buds. But the Butterfly, planted in a big pot has a WOPPING 64 BIG BUDS Yahooo!!! I planted the Rosamond inground about 2 weeks ago - I counted 70 small buds on it! It grew so well there last year, but I checked it & all the buds fell of except for about 8. Boo hoo - I think transplant shock. It'll come back I'm sure.
The ones that have no buds yet I just found some branch tips covered with aphids. I wonder if they ate the Rosamond buds (?) I sprayed them with hot water & dawn dish soap & so far so good. I remember I had them last year too.
Do aphids love your brugs too?
Sooo happy summer is FINALLY here & brugs are blooming
Boy Patty are you ever lucky to have so many buds. I'm still waiting for mine to Y, so far none have. Maybe I need to fertilize more. Of my 3 brugs that were started last year, 1 still remains to be repotted. It's been kind of hard to go outside and stay out long enough to get the job done because of the bumper crop of mosquitos this year. Once they know I'm out there, they come in droves. The flooding all around has really over produced them.
Anyway, what do you fertilize with, how much, and how often? What else do you use to be so successful? I want some flowers! I need some flowers!
Hi Theresa, I feel bad for you! I don't know why it's taking so long for them to Y. I fertilize only in summer with the same stuff I use for citrus - 24-8-16. When they start getting rootbound, I pot them up.
They are PIGS! Last year there were times I fertilized twice a week! esp when they get buds. In the heat we just had, I had to water twice a day - they were all droopy.
How big are yours & what size pots? I'd fert them - they like nitrogen. Maybe I should give you one that I rooted when I give you your fig tree. What kinds do you have?
I just recounted the buds on Butterfly & there are 75 with many ready to open!!!!! The C. Grimaldi has 13 & 2 are opened (it is smaller & in a smaller pot - 5 gal).
Half of them don't have any buds yet & they are all Y'd, so have patience - they will give you a show this year.
This is the 3rd summer for Tiara (dbl flower) & I got one flower last Sept -Oct. It would be sooo cool if they all bloomed the same time - I'd stare at them & never leave the house LOL.
I will have to take a pic of Butterfly when blooms open, & see if I remember how to post it here.
Patty
Milwaukee, Wi
zone 5
This message has been edited by Ladyaqua on Jun 27, 2008 8:20 PM
That is the precise fragrance I say Butterfly reminds me of Patty, Baby Powder. Also you will notice that the blooms tend to hang outward, almost horizontal.
Here is a cross from Butterfly that I grew from seed in 2003 and I keep it just because I like the colour, fragrance and growth habit.....
What a great pic! I only got a few flowers last year & they were "nodding" but yours are really horizontal! Never saw that before.
I hear they are great pollinaters. RA, what did you cross them with?
There are 15 that are at LEAST 1/2 way out of pods. I am leaving shortley till Monday & hope they stay in bloom till then as it is warm. I'll have my camera ready. In fact, it is drooping AGAIN so will give plenty of water before I go.
The 3 C.G's opened fully last night & hang strait down. I'm sure they'll be done in 2 days -- at least I got to see them & sniff them last night.
Of all my plants, these are the most exciting -- ahh, along with my meyers lemon which has hundreds of blossoms now.
Dumb question (?) What will the seeds produce if I pollinate Butterfly with itself? Will flowers be same or white? Thanks
Patty, you have to use a different Brug to get Butterfly to set seed pods, not use it's self.
There are pink and yellow genes in Butterfly so depending on what colour you cross it with you have a strong chance of pink or peach I would think. There also may be some white in there too.
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this fall will be cutting wayyyyyy ( hopefully to about 10) back and it's going to hard but my back can't take it any longer and up here it isn't worth growing them in pots.
The brugs that I'm waiting to see bloom are 2 CG's and 1 white NOID. They were started from cuttings last year. One CG and the white NOID are in 10 inch pots and are starting to green up and grow nicely. The other CG was just re potted into a 10 inch pot.
I also have 4 new cuttings - 2 of Cotton Candy and 2 of Adora. All are leafing out nicely and already need re potting. Thanks Jarie!
I just gave them all some fish emulsion. That should help them take off.
Patty, where did get the 24-8-16 plant food? I was at Home Depot yesterday and couldn't find any there. My citrus would like some of that.
What kind of brugs do you have Patty? Maybe we can trade?
Theresa, I bought the fert in Fl, but I think Miracle grow has that ratio - or close.
Sure, I might do a trade. I have C.Grimaldi, Dr. Suess, Rosamond, Isabella, Tiara (dbl),Ga. Peach, Jamaican yellow, Betty Marshall, Frosty Pink,& Butterfly. Am having another plant sale 2-3 weeks at Mike's house this time. He's west of Jackson off hy 60 -maybe closer than to my house?
Hope this pic comes thru OK. Photobucket changed a bit. Sorry about the pic quality. I counted 22 bloomed, and MANY half out of pods. 'This one is 6 1/2 ft from soil.
It's 8pm here & still light & I just went out in the RAIN (yup, again RAIN!) to get a whif & YUM. They are not as sweet as baby powder - more perfumy & I love it that way.
RA, how tall is the one in pic? Someone here said their CG is very big but mine is short & bushy -2 1/2 - 3 ft.
My Dr Suess is short too. How tall is your tallest?
Sorry for all the questions, but here's one more LOL.
You mentioned you cut some back. If I cut the end branches off, will it grow more branches there as in other normal pruning? Make it thicker?
Ooh, stopped raining - gotta go smell the flowers.
Thats a pretty one! Butterfly is one that I wanted as well but have my hands full at the moment so I need to see how these do over the summer with our heat before I get anymore. Congrats on the blooms!
Wow Patty, that plant is beautiful. How big is it and how old is it? The 1st brug I re potted is really starting to take off, it's looking really green and the leaves are getting larger in size. I just want it to Y so I can see and smell some flowers. Soon, I hope!
I have to cut mine back to about six inches tall every fall. The one in my pick was from last year, it had 3 trunks from the crown, was about 4 feet tall and 5 feet wide. When I cut it back last fall, I saved only the center trunk part of the three so it will be a little different shape this year, (taller and not as wide). As a seedling, I recall this one never was as tall at the end of the second year... maybe only 5 feet. I have easily had some go 12 feet by the second year. I 'believe' Butterfly tends to be one of the shorter ones and must have passed those genes onto this cross I have.
I think I have shown you some of my second year seedlings with me standing under them before.
Ruth Ann, either you a very tiny lady or you have some mighty big brugs.... maybe a litte of both. Mine are definitely not doing as well this year as in years past. Our sudden change in weather last month hit them pretty hard, and I have had "bud drop", which is something I have never had before. Hopefully, they are acclimating now and will give me a beautiful show --- Cypress Gardens and Ecuador Pink are about ready to do just that.
The show is over - all blooms are done. I hope it gets another flush of blooms soon.
Yes Ruthann, I do remember seeing you under a brug tree. I didn't know then that they got that big! I believe that was in 06 when I started growing them.
In fall of 05 is when I bought cuttings (& got hooked on Brugs) - 6-8 inch sticks. Some died, but some are now 6 -8 ft tall - just 2 1/2 years later.
My fiance' did something real stupid last week. He put a brug planted in a 5 gal tall tree pot (easy to fall over) on the wall next to driveway on a very windy day. It blew over & fell 15 ft onto walkway breaking all branches off to the Y. It looks naked. He put the branch tips in water at least, so maybe they will root.
Butterfly is now in it's second full bloom with 33 flowers open.
The Betty Marshal (or white NOID) from Jarie has 13 flowers open & several have 6 tendrils! Thanks Jarie.
The cuttings from the one that fell over & broke are ready to get potted. Oh...does my yard smell great!
Oh yeah, I took pollen from Rosamond X Butterfly & the seed pod is a fat 3 inches long. Rosamond had HUGE flowers...anyone want seeds when ready?
Patty
Milwaukee, Wi
zone 5
This message has been edited by Ladyaqua on Aug 23, 2008 12:54 AM
Butterfly is going thru another big flush of blooms.
I rough counted 50- 60 buds, 1 and 2 inches. Hope they all bloom before the frost gets here -- or I can always bring it inside to perfume my house!
I've had almost continuous blooms all summer from this one.
I also have 1 big seedpod on it with pollen from Rosamond, if anyone's interested
Patty, I hope you & others grow out some of those seeds...sounds like an interesting combination. I'm still waiting for some of last year's seedlings to bloom for the 1rst time. Growing from seeds is a long, slow process in my neck of the woods. I sure hope next year has a better brug summer than I saw this year.
Patrick
USDA Zone 8b
Heat Zone 3
Sunset Zone 5
SeaTac, WA...one cool place
Thanks Patrick. I can't wait to plant the seeds.
I felt bad that you & some others here had such a bad year for brugs - after all the work. I have a couple that I never saw flowers on & a couple that only had 2 blooms, but this was a better year than last -esp Butterfly & Rosamond.
When is a good time to pluck the seed pod? It's been there since July & won't get any bigger. Should I let seeds dry out or could I plant them right away?
Quote:Seed pods are ready to harvest when:
... the stem (peduncle) that attaches it to the plant, begins to yellow
... the pod itself begins to yellow
... the pod is soft and not firm and crisp
... the pod's surface feels and looks lumpy
Seed pods are mature 2-8 months, depending on species and environment
The above was taken from the ABADS website. Yours may not be ready by the time you have to bring them in but some have been successful cutting and rooting the branch the pods are on and keeping them going until they were ready. Most pods take about 4 months to mature.
Thanks for the info. Pod is lumpy & only lower tip is starting to soften.
BTW, I just counted 82 buds from 1 to 2 1/2 inches long.
Thanks to whomever posted the pic of it above I remember how hot it was that day.
Yahooo!!! I planted the Rosamond inground about 2 weeks ago - I counted 70 small buds on it! It grew so well there last year, but I checked it & all the buds fell of except for about 8. Boo hoo - I think transplant shock. It'll come back I'm sure. 
I don't know why it's taking so long for them to Y. I fertilize only in summer with the same stuff I use for citrus - 24-8-16. When they start getting rootbound, I pot them up. 
.
I remember how hot it was that day.