Anyone that knows me, knows I'm a sucker for scent. After saying repeatedly NO MORE TROPICALS! Y'all have to start this forum ;>{
I have 3, 2 have overwintered very well in the basement. One got buds in November but the frost (?) killed them before I could see or sniff (sniff, sniff) it. Will the cold kill the buds without a frost? I thought I had got them in before the actual frost hit.
The last one I just got from the Atlanta Flower Show, I was so surprized that they too, were selling them as yellow, white, pink and rainbow. Can I assume that the yellow will be Celedine?
I'm also confused about how to grow them. They say they need to be in full sun, yet only water them once a week. So, how do you keep them from being rained on? Should I use a cactus mix or add alot of perlite? Would they do better in a hot greenhouse all summer?
Oh dear, forgot what I wanted to ask, lol. I want 2 or 3 more highly fragrant ones and find some conflicting info on some of them. Here's a few I'm looking at, will someone please help me decide?
Aztec Gold (is it really peachy and strong?)
Singapore or Mele PA Bowman? (Should I assume that my unamed white is a Singapore?)
And for a spicy one:
Kauka Wilder?
Any other suggestions?
Bill Moragne or Pink Pansy - grape kool-aid scent?
C'mon in experts, you're needed!
Remember that if the Lord can't help me, y'all will have to ;>)
Thanks,
Vi
Heaven Help Me!
seems i am posting these two site almost to every thread but the answers and wonderful info are on these sites.
http://www.plumeria101.com/index.html
http://www.io.com/~jrm/plumeria.html
mine are in plain old potting mix. in the greenhouse during the winter and they do go dormant. mine are still sleeping right now.
i water when dry or more depending on our heat. if outside they get rained on. which with our summers is not alot. i bring into the greenhouse only in winer time as mine are still small yet only about 2-3 feet high. a foot a year. started mine from seeds.
i had one bloom last year didnt do anything special to it.
cold can kill buds without a frost. our weather is wacky so no telling from year to year. i say ours because i am right close to you.
Vi, yes, cold can stop buds from blooming and cause them to drop, but sometimes, the inflo will go dormant and then bloom when they come out of dormancy in the spring. I water them every day in the summer -- sometimes twice a day. Mine do well in full sun or part sun. Remember that full sun means six full hours of sun or more. Sometimes, the flowers remain brighter when they are grown in part sun.
Many people say to keep plumeria on the dry side, and that is good advice in the winter, but the truth is that they appreciate water while they are growing as long as the soil is a well-draining mix. I have mine in part cactus mix, part regular potting soil, and part Perlite. Pumice is a good thing to mix in instead of Perlite because it doesn't float to the surface. As long as the water is draining through the plant and out the drainage holes, there is no problem with regular water. In high heat situations, regular water is necessary to keep your plant looking its best. Your plumeria will appreciate the outdoors and not a hot greenhouse. Mine stay outdoors all year long and are fine in the rain, even in the winter. Mine do not go dormant here outdoors and keep most of their leaves during the winter.
Your common yellow could be Celadine. The way to tell if it is is if it has a second leaf margin. That seems to be a telling characteristic of Celadine. The white is probably not Singapore. Singapore is Plumeria obtusa, an evergreen plumeria with especially dark green leaves with rounded tips. You probably just have a common white Plumeria rubra.
The ones that you got at a flower show could be from Big Island Plumeria located in San Diego. They do a lot of the flower shows all over the country.
Aztec Gold smells like fresh ripe peaches and is number one on many people's list.
Vera Cruz Rose smells like roses.
Here are some other scents that I compiled from recommendations from the members over at Maui Plumeria Forum:
Here's the list so far:
Lemon/Citrus/Fruity Scent:
Lemon Drop - lemon scent
Thornton Lemon Drop - lemon scent
Celadine - Citrus Scent
Aztec Gold - peaches
Singapore - lemon, bitter lemon
Keane - lemon
Apricot Delight - lemon
Dwarf Deciduous - lemon, strong citrus
Kimo - lime
Bill Moragne - grape koolaid
Pink Pansy - grape koolaid
Lemon Chiffon - strong lemon, sweeter than Singapore
Intense Rainbow - peaches
Pink Kiss - Apricots, Sweet Olive, Osmanthus fragrans
Classic Plumeria Scent:
Celadine
Singapore
Slaughter Pink
Emerson's Pink Nova - very, very mild
Gardenia Scent:
Gardenia Plumeria
Charlotte Ebert
Tahitian Sunset
Dieudonne
Floral Scent:
Aloha
Dean Conklin - carnation
Nassau
OZ plumie-Gold Coast Peach
San Germain - lhoneysuckle
Just Peachy
Yolanda's White - Night Blooming Jesamine, Cestrum nocturnum
Rose Scent:
Vera Cruz Rose, stronger than Guillot's Sunset
Guillot's Sunset
Brittney
Charlotte Ebert
Jeannie Moragne
Coconut Scent:
Miami Rose
Charlotte Ebert
Scott Pratt - spicy coconut
Nellie's White - jasmine to coconut
Hurricane
Spicy Scent
India - nutmeg
Grove Farm - nutmeg
Negril - cloves
Kauka Wilder
Josua
Cancun Pink - cinnamon
Scott Pratt - spicy coconut
Carmen
Strong Unique Scent:
White
Grove Farm
Mele PA Bowman
Nassau
San Germain - like honeysuckle
Lemon Chiffon - strong lemon
Bali Whirl
Most desireable plumerias for fragrance:
Singapore
Miami Rose
Mele PA Bowman, like Singapore but stronger
Grove Farm
Charlotte Ebert - hint of almond
Nassau
OZ plumie-Gold Coast Peach (previously 'Seldom Seen')
Bali Whirl
Loretta - exotic tropical
Espinda - exotic tropical
Aztec Gold
Celadine
No scent or very little scent:
Pudica - no scent
Vi, here is the thread about the second vein of Celadine leaves: http://www.mauiplumeriagardens.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=973&hl=
Gee Clare, so glad you're here, I should have known I could count on you! I did the 101 thing last year and kept them dry all summer except when fertilizing, no wonder I didn't have blooms! I kinda wondered about how they could survive in Hawaii with its rains, lol. It gets awful hot here. Thanks alot!!!
Now as for the scents, you must know it just made it harder for me. I was in Hawaii back in the old days when I was 21 (sigh) knew I loved plummies from the leis I collected, ha ha, but just can't recall the scent now in my old age :(
I do want something strongly spicy (like dianthus?) so if anyone has suggestions...?
They all sound so good...! Sigh...back to the catalogs...
Sure, Vi! Thanks for the compliment. Also remember that Plumerias are heavy feeders like brugs, and fertilizer is the most important thing for flower production. I know it rains a lot in Hawaii! But many plumerias there grow in sand too so well-draining soil is good. They grow in Singapore too, and it rains all the time there!
You can't beat Celadine for scent, and it sounds like you may have one. I have these down for spicy:
India - nutmeg
Grove Farm - nutmeg
Negril - cloves
Kauka Wilder
Josua
Cancun Pink - cinnamon
Scott Pratt - spicy coconut
Carmen
I don't know of one that smells like Dianthus, but Kauka Wilder gets lots of high praise so you might consider that one. I've heard good things about Grove Farm too. I have both of them, but I haven't had blooms yet on either one. You might consider calling Florida Colors Nursery and asking for Carol. She has always been very helpful to me in the past, and if you tell her what scent you are looking for, I'm sure she can make a recommendation. Here's a link with her contact information: http://www.floridacolors.com/
Vi, as I was perusing some sites, I ran across descriptions of scents which were "spicy." Lurline and Hilo Beauty both have scents described as spicy: http://www.ctahr.hawaii.edu/oc/freepubs/pdf/OF-31.pdf Both are gorgeous.
Clare, you are just the wealth of plumeria "scent" information on the net!!!!!!! I could never describe the scent of my "India" and "Negril". Cloves and nutmeg!!!! You hit that right on the nose!!!!
I did learn however, that not all parts of Hawaii are condusive to plumeria growth. My good friend Carol (Aloha Hoyas) can't grow them where she lives in Hawaii. It stays to wet for to long, she told me! She said that on the other side of the island it stays dryer and they grow like wild. Go figure!
Update! I lost my "Hilo" cutting! :( It rotted away to nothing in a matter of weeks! I tried cutting the "black tip" off, but couldn't find any healthy "white flesh" to seal with wax and start over.
I was doing some research and talking with some of my vendors in Hawaii; and they told me that "Hilo" plumerias were pretty hard to get to root. I learned a lot from last years mistakes. I'm going to start putting a inch or more gravel or rock in the bottom of my rooting starter pots! This helps tremendously with the draining of the water. I think some of my soil/perlite mixtures settled around the calloused ends of the cuttings and started rotting them!
I could tell on some of the rotted cuttings, that the soil was sticking to the bottom of the plumerias and keeping them wet for to long. The perlite had dispersed so, that I thought that they were dry but were actually damp around the cutting ends. I was fooled into overwatering by the dryness of the perlite on top of the pot.
LOL, Randy! I'm afraid I can't take credit for the scent description! I just asked for opinions from the members over at Maui Plumeria Forum and compiled their answers. I haven't smelled either India or Negril, but I just ordered an India from Jennifer's site here: http://www.mauiplumeriagardens.com/ I didn't need more plumies, but I couldn't help myself! Her prices for cuttings are actually very good. Your friend Carol (AlohaHoyas) is Jennifer's mother! How's that for coincidence! I didn't know that about Hawaii. She would probably be better off growing them in very well-draining soil in containers in that case, perhaps with some shelter of trees or overhangs.
I'm sorry about your Hilo Beauty. Your vendors are right that that cultivar is hard to root. Reds in general are hard to root. You may want to consider buying a grafted one from Florida Colors. Also, some people root plumies in 100 percent Perlite or even 100 percent sand. Winter is a very hard time to try to root cuttings because of the lack of heat. Bottom heat in the form of a heating pad helps, but summertime is really the best time to try to root plumies.
Kay rooted some Hilo Beauties so maybe she can shed some light on what she did to root them. Also, I've had the most amazing luck water-rooting the plumies which have been difficult to root this winter. Here's a link about water-rooting: http://www.mauiplumeriagardens.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=674&hl= Here's another good link: http://www.mauiplumeriagardens.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=2223&hl= I think the gravel rock in the bottom of the container is a good idea too. One more link: http://www.mauiplumeriagardens.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=1404&hl=
Anyway, don't feel bad. I lost some this winter too including Dieudonne, Mardi Gras, Kauka Wilder, Lemon Drop, Plastic Pink, and Vera Cruz Rose. Sometimes, they won't root no matter what you do. This is where grafting comes in very handy. Luc from Florida Colors will graft any plumeria for you if you send it to him for a small fee. This can be very comforting if you just spent a fortune on a cutting that you are not sure that you can root.
Edited to fix spelling.
This message was edited Mar 23, 2005 1:25 PM
Clare, once again THANK YOU! I was going to ask about the grafted cuttings :) That's were I've been drooling, and trying to make up my mind, lol!
Can someone tell me what Duke and Intense Rainbow smell like??
Vi, my pleasure. I have a bunch of grafted plants from Florida Colors, and I've even tried grafting myself. Grafted plants are a great way to go.
Kauai, I'm not good at describing scents, but Intense Rainbow had a peachy/fruity smell. I can't really remember what category of smell Duke fell into, but it was sweet. I didn't think Duke was as strong as some people report that it is. You have to stick your nose in it to smell it. Here is a link: http://www.plumeria101.com/master_gallery/duke.html