I started growing Deadly Nightshade (Atropa belladonna) in spring of 2021. That was my first attempt to grow this deadly beauty that is a stable in any poison garden or witch’s garden. None of the plants from 2021 survived, mostly due to me not knowing belladonna cannot handle Texas heat.
I started a new batch of belladonna seeds in Fall 2021 using the seeds I collected from my own plants. By the time Spring 2022 arrived, this five-month old plant was acting a real diva 👸. She had been mostly living in my greenhouse/shade house since she was a seedling. When I took her out with other belladonna plants to get some natural sun, she got all wilty and sad because the temperature was in the 60s and 70s. Even filtered sun seems to be too much for her 😮💨 .
I did notice when she looked the worst her pot (and soil) was quite warm. I tried cooling her down by deep watering once with cold water, and let she sit in the indoor protected area under grow lights for the past several days. She finally perked back up. It was likely that the black grower pot was making her soil too warm even with dappled sun.
Grown from seeds I collected from my own plants, this belladonna was one of the first generation of true Texas-born belladonnas 🌸🤠🌸. They did grow into the flowering stage. Here were some of the first flowers…
I absolutely love that dark purple-y mauve color, and look at those veins! I also love the whole flower is covered in tiny fuzz. Datura and black henbane are both beautiful and alluring in their special ways, but belladonna takes seduction to a whole new level! She is what I would call the Dark Mistress.
Despite belladonna being a perennial, she had only grown one season for me. She always ended up dying at the height of summer. And I have not been able to grow belladonna for a last few years — I haven’t been able to start any seeds. Belladonna is one of those plants that really needs a lot of attention and pampering due to her dislike of excessive heat and humidity, and obviously Central Texas does NOT have ideal climate for the Dark Mistress. Timing for seed starting is super crucial — late fall or early spring for those of us in Texas when daytime temperatures don’t got above 70 F. And of course cold stratification is A MUST.
I have managed to keep alive a baby plant that I got from Strictly Medicinal Seeds earlier this spring, and she is definitely getting pampered right now. She is still an tiny plant, let’s see if I can keep her alive long enough to reach maturity. I have certainly learned a lot about growing some of the famous “witchy plants”, such as aconite, mandrake and datura, since I started 6 years ago. But the learning NEVER stops, and there is certainly more to learn from all the plant allies.
