Sommer Gardens currently conducts what we believe to be the most ambitious Brugmansia hybridizing program in the world. Sommer Gardens has assembled the largest collection of named brugmansia cultivars available anywhere, incorporating most of them into its hybridizing program. In the past five years alone Sommer Gardens has planted seeds from more than 600 unique Brugmansia crosses.

Sommer Gardens typically sows a minimum of 15-20 seeds from each cross, however it is not uncommon for us to decide to plant all the seeds from a seed pod In order to increase the chances of finding a Brugmansia with desirable traits.   

Once the new baby seedlings produce their second set of true leaves, they are transplanted to small pots and liner trays. 

A couple months later the liners are upsized to gallon-sized pots.

 After the seedlings reach 3-4 feet in height they are transplanted to larger pots, typically a 3 gallon size pot.

The seedlings are then grown out in full sun and observed for unique traits and blooms.  Occassionaly a seedling may produce its first blooms in 9-10 months, but for most it takes a year or longer for the first blooms to appear.

At any given time Sommer Gardens may have several thousand Brugmansia seedlings under observation.

By undertaking such an ambitious hybridizing program we are able to select the best of the best Brugmansia for registering and release.