N. H. Plumeria Season 2K24

[Silas_Sancona]

With temperatures on the rise, the Plumeria are starting to awaken..


Some faster....



















Some slower ..For the moment.    ...They'll catch up soon enough..















Ellen should leave her ugly beheading behind once new growth starts pushing from dormant nodes..





Hard to see now but, at least a couple may try to flower this year, inc the " Is likely Celadine " currently in " Plumeria Jail " planted last fall..  Almost time for some white washing to keep those tender young trunks and branches from burning.





Lets see what yours are doing  ..and up to through the long,  warm months ahead..

[Keys6505]

Any experience with variegated plumeria?  I bought this grafted plant at the end of last season and it shipped really poorly and was a rubbery mess when I got it.  I potted it and kept it awake all through the winter in a south facing window and it slowly recovered.  While it was in the window the leaves were extremely variegated but since I've moved it back outside into full sun (ehh from like 11am on) each leaf has shown less and less.  I don't belive these are known to revert, but I may be mistaken.  Any thoughts?

[Silas_Sancona]

" The special one " ..On the way.   Looks like a double inflo too..



" Could be Celadine " in Plumeria Jail  gearing up as well...

[RiverCityRichard]

Never learned the name of this variety, but always the first to bloom and my fastest grower. Well complimented by the Hibiscus this morning too.

[Silas_Sancona]

11 minutes ago, RiverCityRichard said:

Never learned the name of this variety, but always the first to bloom and my fastest grower.

 Flowers have a strong ripe Peach scent?  is likely Aztec Gold ..or a seedling from  since crosses involving it have a similar scent.

Flowers smell like Orange / Citrus w/ a hint of Vanilla and / or Cloves ( ...or similar to Gardenia )  it could be Celadine, ..or a cross involving that cultivar. 

Both cultivars are among the most popular, easy to grow of the " Classics "

Agree 100%, Plumeria and Hibiscus go hand in hand.

[Silas_Sancona]

Spotted over a wall today.. First Plumeria in the neighborhood to start flowering..  Can see a couple tips that got nipped this past winter but, overall, a nicely formed specimen.




Flowers were too high to get a closer look /  see which cultivar it might be / be related to.. White / Yellow & White is obvious but...

May look it over again in a week or two to see if any more infos appear.

[RiverCityRichard]

On 5/8/2024 at 5:45 PM, Silas_Sancona said:

 Flowers have a strong ripe Peach scent?  is likely Aztec Gold ..or a seedling from  since crosses involving it have a similar scent.

Flowers smell like Orange / Citrus w/ a hint of Vanilla and / or Cloves ( ...or similar to Gardenia )  it could be Celadine, ..or a cross involving that cultivar. 

Both cultivars are among the most popular, easy to grow of the " Classics "

Agree 100%, Plumeria and Hibiscus go hand in hand.

Im going to go with the vanilla/citrus. My wife said last year they smelled just like vanilla. I appreciate the ID! Went through frost twice and a 28 degree low during Christmas 2022 with no issue. The one next to it is a bit slower to start throwing leaves, and hasn’t flowered after 2 years in the ground. Hoping that will change this year after our mild winter. 

[Silas_Sancona]

18 minutes ago, RiverCityRichard said:

Im going to go with the vanilla/citrus. My wife said last year they smelled just like vanilla. I appreciate the ID! Went through frost twice and a 28 degree low during Christmas 2022 with no issue. The one next to it is a bit slower to start throwing leaves, and hasn’t flowered after 2 years in the ground. Hoping that will change this year after our mild winter. 

  28 - 30F is about the lowest we experienced this year / once or twice for an hour or so on a few mornings every couple winters.  Wrapped / pulled off remaining leaves on my planted plants / brought the seedlings younger rooted cuttings in.

Some potted Jungle Jack's varieties i added to my collection sat outside under a porch.  No issues w/ those cold mornings, though i almost brought them in for a couple nights, more so due to the rain we had before those cold mornings.

2 other cultivars i picked up from a well known grower near you did come in though.

Leaves on Neighborhood specimens got nipped, but held up fine through the cold this year.


With the exception of White Singapore, generally speaking, White /  Yellow flowered Plumeria rubra  cultivars are among the hardiest / most cold tolerant ( For a Plumeria ) , with Red or Purple ( Yes, there are legit Purple -flowered Plumeria cultivars around now )  are often more fussy / more cold sensitive..  Always exceptions to that thought though..

Whites and Yellows will often start flowering earlier as well. 

Some, regardless of flower color, will go through odd boom and bust cycles where they flower like crazy for one or two years in a row, then flower much less for a year or two.. No clue why but is one of those Plumeric - centric oddities which has been noted among long time plumeria growers / experts.

There are some cultivars that won't flower -at all- until after establishing a good sized root system after being planted too.

Depending on what you fertilize with, these love K ( Potassium ), 3 -4X's a year..  More N and you'll get good growth, but sacrifice flowers.

Despite a lot of " info " you might see on the net, even from some less experienced Plumeria growers,  applying high Phosphorus ferts won't do much of anything for flowers..  You'll actually slowly kill your plants.   Same w/ Hibiscus, Bird of Paradise ( Strelitzia ) ..among other " tropical " stuff that can be sensitive to high amounts of Phosphorus.

[aztropic]

Plumeria are already flowering heavy in Mesa,AZ. Unfortunately,mine have gotten so tall over the last 25 years that the only way now to 'smell the flowers' is to pick them up off the ground as they drop... 🤷‍♂️ 

 

aztropic 

Mesa, Arizona 

[Silas_Sancona]

Spied on streetview in the Willow Glen area of San Jose  ..Where it's supposedly too cold / wet in winter for Plumeria.



Not pictured but there's another house a block over with several smaller Plumereia specimens planted as well.

[aztropic]

Here's my community pot of 2 year old seedlings waking up. (Yes, actually grown from seeds and not cuttings) Probably should get them into individual pots,and hope for some interesting flowers next year. You never know what new colors may be created,when you are growing these from seed.

 

aztropic 

Mesa, Arizona 

[Barry]

Yes, the plumerias are waking up.

1 and 2 Hilo Beauty, blooming nice this year. Deep Red, Not always consistent bloomer

3 Kimo, one of my best

4 Unknown pink

5 Bali whirl

6 Thornton Lemon Drop, 1st bloom for me

[Barry]

1. Nebels Rainbow

2. 2 year old seedlings, hoping to set blooms, but probably not this year. Growth has been good, most pushing 4 ft.

3. Aztec Gold

4. Singapore Pink, very fragrant 

[Silas_Sancona]

After a loonngg wait...


And letting her settle in, San Pedro Du Lac X  awakens...

Day shots are good, though White flowers don't exactly stand out against a white wall..











Night shots are a different story














..As are shots taken at a specific time in the morning when a beam of sun is able to sneak through the Olive..







Same slight Gardenia / Vanilla scent as the parent,  esp. in the evening.  If we can raise humidity a bit over the course of the inflo's lifespan, will be interesting to see whether or not the scent intensifies.  Keeping quality of the flowers seems good so far ( first flower that opened a few days ago retaining color / petal firm-ness )




 "  Could be a Celadine / Seedling of... "  in " Plumeria Jail " joining the party  ..We'll see what forthcoming flowers look like but scent / fuzzy throat point me closer to my assumptive ID..  ..That or maybe something connected to Thornton Lemon, though the skinnier, more point-y leaves look closer to a Celadine i have / lack the pubescent fuzz present on a Thornton Lemon i have.. 




 Err'- body else are growing, but no signs of inflos yet.. 

[Silas_Sancona]

For all who may not have already seen ...2024 tour of Dr. Kukait's incredible Plumeria collection, English edition..   80 hectares / almost 200 acres of all this? ..I'd never leave, lol..  Heaven on earth for sure..  Enjoy!
 

 

[Silas_Sancona]

Another shot of San Pedro Du lac in perfect lighting that brings out the yellow haze in newer flowers..



" Plumeria in Plumeria Jail " opening more flowers..  Small, but that is to be expected since it was planted last November..  Suffering sunburn here so shade cloth will be tossed on the afternoon sun-ward side for a few weeks..  More convinced it is a legit Celadine ..how so??







Today's educational tidbit  ..For those who want to learn something:


There are a lot of white / yellow combo Plumeria cultivars out there that are casually called " Celadine " / Common Yellow / White, etc " by growers who don't value / are too lazy to properly ID their plants.

That being said,  this is the easiest way to be sure your " Yellow and White " Plumeria is an actual / legit. Celadine  ..or perhaps a direct seedling of..

2 obvious veins in the leaves = Celadine / seeding of..   Leaves don't have a pair? = not Celadine / shouldn't be called / labeled / sold as that cultivar...

Plumeria in Plumeria Jail = 2 veinzz



Celadine purchased from a reputable grower 2 veins, ...X2




For reference..

Leaves on San Pedro Du Lac X





Single vein right along the leaf edge..



And Thornton Lemon Drop ( Shorthand : TLD )




....Which also presents a fine pubescent " fuzz " on the newest portions of the growth tips, leafstalks, and leaf margins ...as new leaves emerge.






Unfortunately, that " fuzzy / Pubescence " trait isn't always a great way to tease out NOID/ UKNID plants since several cultivars can have varying amounts of the stuff present on 'em.


As mentioned above, leaves on TLD  have a single, prominent vein in them..   ...So no, not a Celadine..   Despite what some sub- par grower might try to tell you.  


That said, TLD is one of the best " classics " to have in a collection however.   ...So yeah, ...See it,  buy it.  ..Maybe another. 


 

[Xenon]

Can someone ID? I like it whatever it is, smells very powdery. Got it from the local big box last year

 

[Silas_Sancona]

25 minutes ago, Xenon said:

Can someone ID? I like it whatever it is, smells very powdery. Got it from the local big box last year

 

Any vendor name on the pot when you picked it up?.. 

Off the top of my head, these two may be the closest  fit, ..but maybe not exact cultivar: Both are popular / classic cultivars that pretty much everyone grows ( Even if not named correctly ..or at all )

[Xenon]

22 minutes ago, Silas_Sancona said:

Any vendor name on the pot when you picked it up?.. 

Off the top of my head, these two may be the closest  fit, ..but maybe not exact cultivar: Both are popular / classic cultivars that pretty much everyone grows ( Even if not named correctly ..or at all )

Cancun Pink sounds spot on with the vigorous growth, fading to very light pink, and baby poweder scent. Thanks 

[Silas_Sancona]

11 minutes ago, Xenon said:

Cancun Pink sounds spot on with the vigorous growth, fading to very light pink, and baby poweder scent. Thanks 

It's a great variety that even withstands our heat pretty well ..so far.  More cold tolerant ( as mentioned in the link ) than some other cultivars as well.

If you're lucky enough to get any of the flowers to produce pods / seed,  you could end up w/ some interesting offspring later.  Growing Tomatoes / anything else in the nightshade family  Hawk Moths use as a food source,  better chance they'll pollinate the flowers of the Plumeria.

[Xenon]

6 minutes ago, Silas_Sancona said:

It's a great variety that even withstands our heat pretty well ..so far.  More cold tolerant ( as mentioned in the link ) than some other cultivars as well.

If you're lucky enough to get any of the flowers to produce pods / seed,  you could end up w/ some interesting offspring later.  Growing Tomatoes / anything else in the nightshade family  Hawk Moths use as a food source,  better chance they'll pollinate the flowers of the Plumeria.

Hmm it's about time for the rangoon creeper to flower. Nothing draws the hawk moths in like it. Seed set seems to be fairly common here...didn't know it was hit and miss. 

[Silas_Sancona]

3 minutes ago, Xenon said:

Hmm it's about time for the rangoon creeper to flower. Nothing draws the hawk moths in like it. Seed set seems to be fairly common here...didn't know it was hit and miss. 

Depends on the cultivar.. some, like Cancun, Samoan Fluff,  and / or Courtade can set seed pretty easily while others ..Like say Fireblast, some of the Purples from Thailand,  and other really exotic looking cultivars like Thai Orange Splendor might set seed a bit less frequently ..One reason seed from them can be pretty expensive. 

I'm sure location plays a part in how much / little different cultivars set seed too.. Easier where the sun doesn't fry any flowers / pollen in them ofcourse.

Makes sense but did not realize Rangoon Creeper was a Hawk / Sphinx Moth Magnet..  Sacred Datura definitely draws them in ..and diverts attention from Tomatoes / Peppers from the " Hornworms "..

[N8ALLRIGHT]

I'm late to the party,

This is my first flowers of the year, don't know the variety as it was just labeled " frangipani". I've settled on " Tex Midwestis" . Didn't have much scent the last couple seasons however it's smelling nice this year. Kinda of a floral perfume scent? Anyways 

[Silas_Sancona]

11 minutes ago, N8ALLRIGHT said:

I'm late to the party,

This is my first flowers of the year, don't know the variety as it was just labeled " frangipani". I've settled on " Tex Midwestis" . Didn't have much scent the last couple seasons however it's smelling nice this year. Kinda of a floral perfume scent? Anyways 

Better late than never.. 

[aztropic]

Small yellow flowers,highly lemon scented. Originally bought this plant in 2010 as one of those 5" souvenir cuttings,sold in all the big box stores in Hawaii. Probably 'aztec gold'.

Also have a community pot with 9 good plants I grew from seed off my yellow plumeria. Can't wait to see what their flowers look like (next year?) as it could be cross pollinated with hot pink. Time has come to pot up plants individually into 1 and 2 gallon pots. 

 

aztropic 

Mesa,Arizona

[mnorell]

Scott, 'Aztec Gold' (aka 'Key West Yellow') doesn't have a lemon scent...it is very notable for the fact that a full inflorescence taken in hand smells like a basket full of peaches. I have one and it is really crazy in re that distinctive scent. I'm not sure what the most common yellow is in Hawai'i but I believe in the past it was most commonly 'Celadine,' and you can identify that one by the unique double-vein along the abaxial perimeter of the leaves.

I just had a first bloom the other day on a seedling that I bought from an eBay vendor a couple of years ago...this was sold in a group of seedlings, from mother trees of 'Miami Rose,' 'Candy Cane,' and 'Polynesian Sunset.' This one was labeled as coming from 'Miami Rose' although judging by the baby's rainbow flowers and the supposed parent (not), if I were to look at it against the three plants it would be the last one I would select as the probable mother. I guess it's possible the tags got mixed up but I don't think so (at least not on my part). I haven't grown seedlings to flower before and am not familiar with flower appearance and its relation to mother or father genetic contributions/variability. This one is very identifiable as compared to my other Plumerias via its relatively short/stubby, tear-drop leaves, which I think are quite attractive. Maybe some of you other Plumeria growers have an idea on this.

[aztropic]

I have several different plumeria trees growing around the yard,just checked,and none have the double veined leaf.🤷‍♂️ 

 

aztropic 

Mesa, Arizona 

[Tracy]

My first Plumeria flower is on the plant that also is the last to have flowers each year.  It is San Diego Sunset.  Lots of buds right now on others but I probably have a couple of weeks before I see flowers on the other varieties I am growing. 

[aztropic]

My all red flower is just starting to bloom,this late in the season. It's always been a late bloomer.🤷‍♂️ 

 

aztropic 

Mesa, Arizona 

[Billeb]

All….i bought this “El Dorado” from an old lady that had a bunch of plumeria with “not for sale” or “never for sale” tags.
 

Unfortunately it was in the fall 2022 and no flowers were on the plant. It actually didn’t flower last year due to our weird summer. Quite a few other plumerias did the same. 
 

Fast forward to this year, anxiously waiting for it to show its color after nearly 2yrs and  whatya know….…..……

    …….common white. 🥱👎🏻

 

The only very strange thing is the flowers have 6 petals instead of 5. Am I missing something? The shape of the leaves look different than others I’ve seen too. Probably over analyzing at this point.  
 

-dale 

[Peter]

Palomar

[Peter]

Jeannie Moraine

[Palms1984]

Here’s a plumeria tree in south San Jose.  I discovered it growing there 4 years ago.  It appears to be very happy.  Photo taken September 8, 2023. 

[Palms1984]

My pretty large red plumeria tree ( 15 ft tall by 23 ft wide)  here in San Diego, CA.  Unfortunately, it’s not flowering too well this year.  Photo taken July of 2024. 

[dalmatiansoap]

First plumeria flower ever :), can someone help me with ID

Thank you 

[Silas_Sancona]

4 hours ago, dalmatiansoap said:

First plumeria flower ever :), can someone help me with ID

Thank you 

Tough call on correctly ID'ing Pink / " Fruit Salad / Rainbow " - flowered cultivars...  Noting any scent on them?  That might help me narrow a list of possibilities.

[dalmatiansoap]

No scent so far

[Josue Diaz]

On 6/6/2024 at 4:23 PM, Xenon said:

Can someone ID? I like it whatever it is, smells very powdery. Got it from the local big box last year

 

This looks like Cancun Pink,  also called "playful" by CStars nursery which supplies the home depots in California. 

[Phoenikakias]

22 hours ago, dalmatiansoap said:

First plumeria flower ever :), can someone help me with ID

Thank you 

I would not give up on the intoxicating fragrance of those flowers for all the fancy colors!

[N8ALLRIGHT]

Here's " Divine". The blossoms on the lower right are from the latest heat wave (100f) the others are from temps in the low 90s. Definitely more purple w/more heat. For any of you guys who are in nonplumeria growing zone, I can't recommend this one enough. Loves living in a pot,stays small, heavy bloomer and smells great. I'd wanted to post when my other varieties started blooming but I'm not sure if I have enough summer. Anyways