Hi my name is Donna -

- 1birdylady on the birding forums and DonnaB on the gardening forums at Daves Garden and BGI.

I live on the beautiful Mississippi Gulf Coast zone 8b/9a. My gardening really got started when I got into birds and wildlife watching on a regular basis. I started planting things that were not only pleasing to the eye but served a purpose on my property.

• Trees provide shade as well as nesting sites, shelter, and food for birds, squirrels and other animals.
• Vines provide nectar, berries, shelter, and nesting sites for birds, butterflies, bees, and hummingbirds.
• Flowering shrubs provide shelter, nesting sites, berries, nectar, and wonderful fragrances.

Brugmansias

I first saw a Brugmansia in a gardening magazine so I ordered one because it was so pretty. It was a white suaveolens hybrid unnamed. After a few years it was coming back so big I started calling it Monster Brug.

It gets between 12 to 15' wide and tall and make massive amount of blooms. It is nothing f or it to have 150 to 200 blooms at one time. The fragrance is to die for at night and the moths it attracts are incredible.

I had a new neighbor move in from California and he had a orange brug. I didn't know anything about them except it was a Angels Trumpet and didn't know they came in different colors.

So I looked up Angels Trumpet on the internet and was amazed at the varieties there are. I was addicted immediately and began collecting them 3 years ago. I had to get rid of 15 varieties this year to make room for some new ones. Talk about a hard choice to make.