By Mathew Navarro
Looking for a plant who produces large, fragrant, white flowers from Summer through Autumn? How about a plant that requires little care due to its indigenous roots? What about a perennial that can be used as a ground cover, or as a scrambling erosion controller? Look no further than Jimson weed/moon flower/Datura wrightii.
The common name, moonflower, likely derives from its habit of blooming at night. These ephemeral flowers attract crepuscular and nocturnal pollinators alike, making them ideal for the gardener who loves viewing nature and drinking a night beverage. Two summers ago my mom and I had the great pleasure of watching a hummingbird and a giant spotted hawk moth gorge themselves in the massive flowers. Perhaps you need a D. wrightii planted beside a comfortable chair or window.
Some may recognize the genus Datura from Jean M. Auel's Clan of the Cave Bear. Without spoiling the story, I'll wager sacred Datura has likely affected the course of human history more than we have nudged its own fantastic evolution. Indigenous cultures throughout North America have used this plant for healing and ceremonial purposes. This is to say, all parts of the plant, if ingested, are toxic, even for a highly trained medicine woman.
Maintenance includes: training stems as they reach to cover the ground or lazily cover adjacent plants, pruning damaged leaves/stems to encourage new growth, removing green seed pods if you don't want the plant to self seed (the pods can be used in cut flower arrangements, especially with flowers that have sharp textures), and finally pruning back the main stem as the plant dies back in early Winter. The root ball will remain in good health over winter, sending up a new stem in spring. The plant also responds well to neglect, so the lazy gardener is in luck and may only need to hack it back above the crown in Winter.
If you have not yet planted or acquired a D. wrightii by now, that's OK. Fertilized flowers form spiky round seed pods which hold hundreds of potential new plants. Seeds can be sown directly in the soil, or containers. My luck saw low germination rates (less than 10%), however this is not a problem considering a healthy plant may produce thousands of seeds, so if a friend has one growing you will be in luck. They can also be found at the local nurseries in the native or drought tolerant section. Overall, Datura wrightii has much to offer that gardener as an ornamental perennial, and I highly recommend growing one or more, especially in those places with poor soil in need of boosted curb appeal.
Resources
UC IPM http://ipm.ucanr.edu/PMG/WEEDS/sacred_datura.html
Nature Collective-San Diego Ca.
Napa Master Gardeners are available to answer garden questions by email: mastergardeners@countyofnapa.org. or phone at 707-253-4143. Volunteers will get back to you after they research answers to your questions.
Visit our website: napamg.ucanr.edu to find answers to all of your horticultural questions.
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