Exotic and Fragrant Plumeria Flowers burst into bloom in July
Look at these gorgeous flowers! So simple yet sublime. Plumeria truly are a pleasure. Bringing bouquets of flowers on large shrubs or small trees, these plants are a show stopper when in bloom. Plumeria also know as Frangipane. They are originally from Mexico and Central America. Their range extends up to Florida and all the way south into Brazil. They were introduced into Hawaii where they are the most common flowers used in leis (flower necklaces). I always thought of them as Hawaiian flowers and plants but I was in error. Hawaii is actually full of plants native to other tropical regions. I recently listened to James Michener’s novel “Hawaii” on Audible. The novel begins at the very inception of the islands and recounts the early population of Polynesians from Bora Bora and continuing up through the influences of the Europeans, Chinese and Japanese on the islands. So many of the plants, fruits and flowers that we associate with Hawaii were introduced and became crops and ornamentals on the islands. Fascinating. Thankfully Plumeria is among them.
Los Angeles Arboretum in Arcadia has a fine collection or grove of Plumeria and they even have a Plumeria Festival in mid-July. I missed the Festival but caught the beginning of the bloom cycle in the beginning of the month. In Los Angeles, Plumeria are Deciduous and the leaves have to grow back in during May and June before the flowers set. The most common colors are white and pink so I was delighted to see so many hybrids (even with labeling!) in the grove. As you can see the flowers are very photogenic. In our neighborhood in L.A. the Plumeria trees have an umbrella of flowers covering the tops of the trees- beautiful.
Plumeria are very much a tropical plant and cannot stand freeze in the winter. I did have a few client’s who grew them in the S.F. Bay Area, but they had them in pots which would have to be brought indoors in the winter. Pretty hard since they are large shrubs or small trees. Moving down to the L.A. area I was excited to see Plumerias grown in many home gardens and public parks. As with most blooming plants it is good to feed them as the leaves emerge and through the growing season every month with a balanced N-P-K fertilizer- organic formula or standard fertilizer for blooming shrubs. The have a fine root system so mulch below the plants or plant a cover crop to protect the roots. I use Catharanthus rosea as a ground cover under ours and they reseed easily to grow up the next year.
If you are working on growing sub-tropicals or tropical plants in your garden you may want to check out my blog on avoiding freeze damage (click icon below). We can’t stretch the climate zones of these plants too much but with a little protection many sub tropicals and tropicals can grown out of their typical area. Another couple of options are to take cuttings and regrow tropicals indoors in the winter, treat them as annuals when grown from 4″ pots and replant in early summer, or use tropicals only in pots and bring them onto a covered porch or into the home in winter. Some tropical plants like Canna Lilies and Tuberous Begonias grow from tubers which can be stored in a cool (not freezing) storage room over the winter.
I hope you are able to see the Plumeria in bloom or grow them if you live in a tropical climate. They will give you years of pleasure. If you are in the Los Angeles area in July go by and see the Plumeria grove. It is in an area of the Arboretum that has a lot of interesting Tropical and Exotic trees and shrubs. Click icon below for more information about the Arboretum in Arcadia:
