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By Jacqueline Cross (libellule)
The color changing blooms of the Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow Shrub (Brunfelsia pauciflora) are a wonder to see. The three colors on one shrub, coupled with the jasmine-like fragrance, entice even those non gardeners to get a closer look. The flowers open purple then, over a period of several days they fade to lavender and then, finally, pure white. After this they turn brown and die off. I became interested in this shrub about five years ago when I saw a photograph of it on Dave's Garden. A family member shared some seeds with me and I soon had a good size specimen in a pot. It was healthy and I thought I was on my way to having a beautiful shrub in my yard. That was not to be. My lovely seedling died. I did not try again until this year, when I received a rooted plant from my aunt. I kept it in a pot until recently, at which time, I planted it out in the yard. I placed a ring of fence wire around it and planted cypress vines on the fence to give it a bit of shade while it settles in. So far, so good. Since I had failed at my first attempt with this plant, I decided to do a bit of research on it. I certainly did not want to kill a second one. While researching this plant, I discovered there are more of these plants than I thought. The Brunfelsias belong to the Solanaceae family of plants, also known as the Nightshade family. There are more than 3000 species in the Solanaceae family. Many coming from the Andean/Amazonian regions of South America. [1] Brunfelsia is named for Otto Brunfels, a Carthusian monk who published the first good drawings of plants in 1530.[2]
These are tropical plants and therefore, do not like the cold. Most are said to only grow in zones 10-11, however, they can be grown as far north as zone 8a. In very cold winters, they will need a bit of covering for those freezing nights. At least, until they are established in your yard. Once established, you will still want to keep a check on them as the freezing temperatures will burn the leaves and possibly kill the plant. A sheet draped over the plant usually works fine here in zone 8b. My aunt has a Brunfelsia pauciflora in her yard that is about six foot tall and she does not do anything special in the winter, other than to mulch the plant well. Here are a few of the Brunfelsia that you can find listed in Dave's Garden Plant Files [3]
Happy Gardening~ WARNING
Thumbnail photo by Dave's Garden member, Mitjo [1] Cornell.edu [2] Botanary [3] PlantFiles For a great article covering many plants in the Solanaceae family, check out:
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