In the Garden with Pat Rubin

Bee garden writer Pat Rubin writes about everything that grows, from flowers and trees to vegetables and lawns. Pat volunteered for several years as a Placer County Master Gardener and has written about gardening for many national and regional publications. In addition to gardening, she spends time raising and showing miniature horses and miniature donkeys.

In the Garden will include news, events, advice and other gardening tidbits. Pat will also answer reader questions.

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December 31, 2007

Angels trumpets in winter

Q: I have 1 of each a yellow and white angel trumpet in my garden. They gave our garden gorgeous flowers all through summer. The frost came and all the leaves fell. Please tell me it's not going to die. How do I take care of it? Also, where can I get Osmanthus fragrans. Thank you for your wonderful column.
Pushpa Naresh, Elk Grove

A: The trumpets are going to look ragged and bedraggled during winter, and as long as a really hard freeze doesn't come, they'll be fine.

However, there are a couple of things you can do to help insure their survival.

Make sure they are watered before a frost. Wrap the trunks with a light blanket or burlap. Throw a sheet over the plant, or hang some of the larger bulb Christmas lights in the tree. Even a light bulb will do.

If we get a series of hard freezes, the plant could die completely back. Bob Hamm, author of Sacramento Garden Notes and founder of the AIDS Benefit Plant Sale, says wrapping the trunk will help protect it and the roots so chances are the plant will be fine come spring.

The trumpets fare better in downtown Sacramento because the buildings and streets gather heat during the day and release it at night. It makes downtown a warmer climate than surrounding suburbs and rural areas.

The osmanthus is available at most nurseries. It also comes in a holly-leaved form (Osmanthus heterophyllus). The flowers are generally white, although there is an orange-colored one that blooms in fall that is heavenly scented.

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