Tropicals & Tender Perennials: Z8 Newbie: Before I purchase..., 1 by Clare_CA

Clare_CA wrote:
Hi Deb and welcome to the Plumie Forum! My plumies stay outside year 'round, and it definitely drops into the 40's at night. It got down to 35 here last night for most of the night. My plumies are dropping bottom leaves here and there in preparation for going dormant, but they won't go dormant because it doesn't get cold enough here and because I continue to water normally. My zone is considered sub-tropical, and I have attempted to raise the temp in the backyard area by creating microclimates. The aluminum siding on the house, the six-foot brick retaining wall, the gravel rocks, and all the cement and wood elements absorb heat during the day and release it at night.

In your zone, you would want to bring them in before your first frost date. Plumies can take very brief periods in the high 30's, but 32 and below will cause some damage if not death, depending upon the maturity of the tree and some other factors. There have been reports of plumeria trees surviving in Zone 9, but those are usually mature specimens which can take a little branch dieback and not succumb completely and which may have been slowly acclimated. Those trees are usually in the heart of a city as well, where there are warm microclimates at work and are often found growing between one or more concrete buildings which offer heat and protection to some degree.

There are many opinions about which are the toughest varieties, and there are no "cold hardy" plumies per se. Seedlings tend to have stronger root systems than rooted cuttings, and grafts are often cultivars grafted to seedlings. A similar question came up on another forum, and I'm going to paste the answer here. The quote is from a plumeria grower named Scott in Kansas City.
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"These are just suggestions from my experience. Mine are probably more applicable to cold-weather growers, but I have seen people in warm climates report similar.

Also I have mentioned how many years I have observed the plant:
After a while you can see how they react to stressors. Some react violently like the dark reds and Lurline, others like Slaughter Pink shrug it off.

Easy
(I have not yet had a major rot attack on any of these, many of these are big trees for me now in Kansas City-big meaning 10 years old.)

Slaughter Pink (number one bulletproof, easy bloomer, a must for beginners)
White Shell (first black tip this winter, otherwise super easy 10 years)
Samoan Fluff (not one black tip in 10 years)
ET Lemon Drop (stressed cutting rooted pretty easily, 3 years old now, blooming in winter)
Mardi Gras(new for me, easy rooter
King Kalakaua(white, new for me easy rooter)
Makanani(rainbow 4 years)
San Germaine-long stems but one of the best smelling( 5 years, white also)
Plastic Pink (everyone lists this as bulletproof, ugly growing habit though 10 years)
Amy (21 years old, great scent, easy rooter, yellow)
Dean Conklin(on the leggy side)
Lei Rainbow-i have lost a few before the one I have now (6 years)
Amarron's Curly White (new for me, easy rooter, blooming as a cutting)
Kimo (another easy one, 6 years, beautiful bloom)
Cerise (3 years, great red, low maintenance)
Bud's Sally(bulletproof, subjected to much abuse, 4 years)
Franscoise (good small grower 6 years)
Paula's Pink
JL Bridal White (6 years)
Kauka Wilder
Maui Beauty (6 years-super easy)
Guillot's Sunset-super easy
Bali Whirl-stingy bloomer (6 years)
Abigail (6 years)
Saigon Moon
Sherman/Polynesian White
Grove Farm (6 years)
Vera Cruz Rose-one of the best smelling ones
Penang Peach-a must for a beginner
Mary Nicholson-very tough, great bloomer

More moderate (again my opinion)
(meaning I have had at least one die back branch or rotted cutting)
Jeannie Moragne (long brancher, can get black tip if stressed, 6 years)
Dwarf Pink Singapore (6 years) this one is good until you get it too cold, then problems
Charlotte Ebert(I lost one cutting, but my second one now is a big tree, love it)
Aztec Gold(I have lost 3 of my 4 trees. When they get sick it is hard to bring them back)
Celadine (I have lost two, I have seen others rot but most say this is a great one)
Duke (10 years)
Mele Pa Bowman-tends to freak branch, freak stress
Moragne 93-red, good for a red, but can be temperamental(6 years)
Princess Ann Roselli-3 years-growing a little strange now, but ok

Most difficult (again my opinion)
(not as tolerant of cold weather. meaning I have had trouble rooting it and have seen others too)
Lurline(beautiful blooms, notorious otherwise)
Scott Pratt(dark red)
Hilo Beauty(a few have had no problems but many have, dark red)
Bill Moragne-can be hard to root for some
Dwarf Richard Criley
Mela Matson(tendency to die back when you cut a branch)
Dwarf white Singapore-black tips
Singapore(black tips too easily, must be babied outside tropics)
Katie Morange-another notorious non-rooter
White Petticoat-always wanting to die back on me"

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I don't have the same experience as Scott, but I'm in a totally different climate than he is. Typically, the white/yellow varieties are the toughest, and the reds are the most sensitive. Some also say that Singapore White is the most sensitive to cold, and it may be since it often gets Black Tip in cold, damp conditions.

In my opinion, the best white/yellows for fragrance are Samoan Fluff, Celadine, Singapore White, Pacific Pearl, and San Germaine. There is a fragrance chart in the FAQ's that was compiled from an opinion poll among plumie growers.