Horn-of-plenty is a sprawling tender perennial native to southern China that transforms into a showstopper annual in most American gardens. Growing 3 to 4 feet tall and spreading equally wide, it produces enormous upward-facing trumpet flowers reaching 7 inches long with a sweetly overpowering fragrance that fills the evening air. The dark green, wavy-toothed leaves grow impressively large, up to 8 inches, though they release a disagreeable odor when brushed or crushed. Hardy only in zones 9 and 10, gardeners elsewhere grow it as a warm-season annual, starting seeds indoors 6 to 8 weeks before the last spring frost and planting out after frost danger passes.
Full Sun
Moderate
9-10
48in H x 48in W
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High
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The flowers alone justify growing this plant: enormous, trumpeting blooms that face upward and emit a sweetly overpowering fragrance throughout summer until frost. Its sprawling, shrubby growth habit creates a substantial presence in the garden, reaching 3 to 4 feet in all directions. The foliage is equally dramatic, with large, deeply wavy-edged dark green leaves that can reach 8 inches long. Remarkably low-maintenance once established, it tolerates drought and needs minimal deadheading or fussing to produce flowers prolifically from July through frost.
Horn-of-plenty is grown primarily as an ornamental for its exceptional flowers and fragrance rather than as a culinary vegetable. The showy, upward-facing trumpets bloom prolifically from July until the first hard frost, making it valuable for cutting gardens and evening entertainment spaces where its sweet fragrance can be appreciated. The plant's substantial size and dramatic foliage also make it useful as a backdrop or focal point in borders and containers.
No timeline data available yet for this variety.
Start seeds indoors about 6 to 8 weeks before your last spring frost date. Sow at appropriate depth and maintain warm conditions until seedlings emerge.
Harden off seedlings by gradually exposing them to outdoor conditions, then transplant into the garden after all danger of frost has passed. Space plants about 3 feet apart in full sun.
Harvest ripe seed pods in late summer or early fall before frost arrives for replanting next season.
Horn-of-plenty does not require deadheading to maintain flowering. If the sprawling growth habit becomes unwieldy, you can stake or support the stems to direct upright growth, but this is optional.
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“Horn-of-plenty originates from southern China, where Datura metel has long been cultivated for its striking ornamental flowers and intoxicating nighttime scent. The plant arrived in Western gardens centuries ago and became a fixture in Victorian collections, prized for its dramatic trumpet blooms and exotic fragrance. Its common names reflect its mythical associations: horn-of-plenty references the cornucopia, while devil's trumpet and angel's trumpet speak to the duality of its beauty and toxicity.”