Plumeria buy online?

Just for fun I would like to give plumeria in a container a try! Does anyone have recommendations on reputable dealers where I could buy this online to be shipped? Any assistance would be greatly appreciated!

Have you looked at eBay?

I suggest you buy a rooted plant and also an easy-to-grow and a good blooming one, if this is your first try at plumeria. You will be successful and then can move on to more difficult-to-grow ones later.

Ken

Not sure why anyone in a temperate zone would want Plumeria - mine rarely bloomed but they were easy to care for - dig them up, put them in a pan for winter - never watered while indoors. Or break them off and put them in a pan (no soil) for winter and root them in spring. Florida vendors come to the flower show in Atlanta with buckets of broken or cut stems for sale. Best to grow in tropical areas since they become good sized trees.

Here are some in Pattaya, Thailand.

Believe it or not, some people love the flowers and their fragrance (lots of mine bloom during the summer) and don't mind a little work/a little challenge. I do the same thing as you and have dozens of them. They all go into large contractor bags and over-winter inside - no light, no moisture, no soil. I potted all mine up in April, and several dozen have leafed out nicely and three have flower stalks forming. It is only a matter of a week or two before lots more will have those stalks. The only slow-poke is my 'Scott Pratt' plants. They are s l o w to plump-up and leaf-up. But they will and they will bloom just like the rest though it will be mid-summer before they do so.

Here are a couple of pictures just made of flower stalks (for another forum) and then one taken of a group of plumeria.

Ken, zone 8b

I gave up on mine and let old man winter have them years ago. I'll enjoy them when I am in Florida or some tropical place. Too many other interesting plants to take care of...

You are sure right there. No need to grow something you don't love when we have so many plants to choose from.
Ken

flordia colors...
http://www.floridacolors.com/

they have some great plumeria,, tell them I sent you...

A 2nd, 3rd & 4th vote for FL colors. They r a busy couple but respond to emails timely. If you don't hv a specific cultivar in mind, explain u r a newbie and ask they recommend an easy, vigorous grower.

FYI, I hv complained about non blooming plumies but the moment I started fertilizing (1 a month) they hv hecome blooming machines.

This message was edited Jun 1, 2014 9:11 AM

Gordon and vossner.. You both rock! The folks at FL colors are exceptionally helpful.. Now lets hope I will have a green thumb with these plants!

Gordon.. Do you have any tips growing them in NY?
Vossner: saw you were from Richmond, Tx lived not to far from ft. Bend county near Meyerland near 610. Left about 15 years.. Still don't miss the summers.. Although I could do withou the 110 inches of snow here in upstate NY each winter
Randy

Summers hv not changed, neither have mosquitoes...

My plumeria blooms all summer off and on and I keep it in the basement jungle all winter and it blooms into December and then rests. I only have one, and it is lovely scent. A great tropical for me here. Thanks to a fellow DG'r.

Thanks everyone for your comments!!

Well...Jull n Randy... I guess the big tips have to do with how you choose to over winter them... what do you plan on doing when the temeratures drop down below 50*F .. say.. they don't do real well in the cool weather...and if you'll keep them growing through the winter..in a very sunny window.. or under lights... do you have a good miticide..
I have seen an accomlished grower... bare root them .. hanging them upside down in a very frost free building through the winter... then starting them again in the spring... what are your plans for them from October onward tp the middle of May... OH.. you're way north there... maybe June to September you can have them out

Hi Gordon, I read recently that doing the bare root thing for plumies wasn't good after all, so I'm confused. My solution has been to overwinter in unheated garage and keep it to 10 plants NO exception. That's why I haven't visited FL Colors website to avoid temptation, lol

I bring them in when 40 degrees, not 50 deg

Go back and re-read my post of May 30. I have owned well over 100 plumeria over the years and this is what I have done for decades. Perhaps I'm just lucky, huh. Here's a couple of pictures I took yesterday of a plant that now is sold. I wouldn't think anyone who grows plumeria would say that it is anything but a spectacular plant. The base is approximately 2" thick, three large tips (branches), and a well-developed stalk loaded with buds. It ships out tomorrow, BARE ROOT.

There is no reason to bring in plumeria, potted or bare-root, when the lows are only in the 50's. They will easily handle 40's and even 30's so long as the lower temperature is only brief. They will begin to go dormant as the temperature gets lower though.

Ken

I used to yank them out and leave bare root in barn. All survived always. But I did notice that they took longer to wake up vs keeping them potted and moving in/ out. Additionally, the more vigorous varieties that I grow were a bear to uproot. Maybe even a bigger hassle than loading/unloading big pots.

I used to hv a couple inground and they died back and returned In Spring at a declining rate. When we had a colder than average winter they didn't hv enough strength to survive. So now I keep them all potted and while awkward, at least I can control Max manageable size for me

I forgot to say that in desperate rush to declutter my garage, I seem to bring them out in spring when temps are a little under 40 and have not had damage or death, so I guess they can stand anything above 32 deg

You are correct in that by leaving them in their pots to over-winter, they will come back more quickly in the spring. But IF you over-water/fertilize during the fall/winter months, they will likely rot. You still want to allow the plants to go dormant.

My problem is that I always have at least 3 dozen to deal with in the fall. I just don't have the space to over-winter them in their pots.

Be careful when storing them in a unheated garage. Four years ago, I had several dozen stored that way and we had five days where the outside temperature never got above freezing. I lost every single plant. IF I have done that this year, I would have lost them all again.

Ken