Datura. C18

The genus Datura belongs to the Solanaceae family and consists of more than 20 species of shrubs and herbaceous plants, almost all of which are native to South America. The main species are: Datura stramonium, Datura metel, Datura discolor, Datura inoxia, Datura ferox, Datura ceratocaula.

They are easy to grow. Daturas have alternate leaves and large trumpet-shaped flowers in white, red or yellow. Flowering time is from summer to autumn, depending on the species.

They like to be in full sun or semi-shade and protected from the cold, they cannot withstand temperatures below 7 ºC. Daturas need a lot of space in the garden.

They should be watered intensively throughout the year and can be pruned in winter to allow them to grow back stronger the following year.

The ideal soil is a slightly loamy garden compost with plenty of compost. Transplanting should be done in spring for herbaceous species and in autumn for shrub species, bearing in mind that these are plants that do not withstand transplanting well.

They should be fertilised during the flowering period with a nitrogen-rich fertiliser every 15 days. They are plants that resist well to the usual pests and diseases.

To propagate shrub species we can make cuttings from spring to autumn (keeping them at 16-18ºC). Annual species reproduce well by seed.