A visit to C-Stars Wholesale Nursery

A group of my plumeria friends and I went on a tour of a wholesale nursery yesterday called C-Stars Nursery and had loads of fun. Our host James arranged the day for us and saw to it that everyone came home with plumerias. And then we all had dinner together thanks again to our gracious host.

The nursery is in Gardena, CA, and they had huge warehouses full of plumerias. The temperature in the warehouses was so high that all of us were soaking wet from our own sweat in no time. We had to walk a bit then step out for air before continuing on. Needless to say, the camera got put away, and the water bottle came out, but I did take a couple of pictures before I put the camera away. It was a wonderful day.

This is inside a warehouse:

This message was edited Jul 23, 2005 5:04 PM

Here's another warehouse shot:

This was just one of many warehouses on the property:

Here are some yellow flowers inside:

And pinks:

More flowers:

Here is a close-up of some flowers. I think this one is 'Ruby Star.'

This one is their Japanese Lantern:

I believe this one is Kanehoe Sunburst:

I think this one is K. sunburst also:

This one was taken near their office. It is Vera Cruz Rose:

Here is another shot of Vera Cruz Rose:

This is one of their exclusives which was not at their nursery but which is blooming in my yard. It is Cancun Dreams:

Cancun Dreams fades to this:

Here is another one blooming in my yard. C-Stars had this one too. It is Kauka Wilder:

Nice pics Clare. I'm going to have to check Armstrong's for one of those Cancun Dreams here in NorCal.

Did you notice many of the Vera Cruz Rose? That one would be a great find locally.

This message was edited Jul 23, 2005 10:29 PM

Hi Cfarm, thanks. Actually, they only had a few Vera Cruz Rose ones by the office and not in the warehouses, and they weren't for sale. Members of my group wanted to buy them, but they were refused. They are calling her 'Lilliana' because they are unaware that she has already been discovered, named, and registered. Someone will have to point that out to them before they start propagating it and selling it.

Wow! How did those warehouses smell?

Wonderful!

Clare, that must've been a fun day despite the humid heat in those warehouses. And it must've smelled heavenly in there too!

Wow Clare! Looks like you went to Plumeria Heaven!

So.....how many plumeria did you add to your collection?

Julie, it was a fun day for sure, and the warehouses smelled wonderful:-)

Hi Nat! Believe or not, I just added two to my collection, and one I have sent away to a friend in Thailand. I intend to go back for a couple more though!

Thanks Clare for sharing your wonderful pictures . I really enjoyed them.
Patti

Thanks for saying so, Patti. Here's a few more just for you!

This is Cancun Dreams, a C-Star's plumie:

This is their large yellow, Princess Maya, Lady Red, and Canary Yellow:

I like the way Lady Red fades to a nice violet:

Just beautiful.

Clare_CA

Just checking on Teresa. How's she doing?

Dang!!!! I remember when only Celadine and an unamed red were grown in Calif, now they are importing many new Hawaiian kinds.


Heres where I got most of mine when I had my 200 plants.:
Jim Little Nursery & Farms
P.O. Box 744
Haleiwa, Hi. 96712
No web site but an old friend of mine, he collects these all over the world and hybridizes them too.Biggest collection outside of Singapores huge collection. Vera Cruz rose and Vera cruz yellow are on the 2005 list

Hi Brad! How are you? I hope doing well. She is growing new leaves, which means that she is rooting well, and that is very good! No inflo's, but that's okay because I am patient:-) I hope you are well. Are you still in NJ? I hope you get to head back to FL soon.

Kyle, I've gotten many of mine from Florida Colors Nursery, but Jim Little's place is great too. I've gotten quite a few from his daughter-in-law, Sandy Lavarias, who is also in Hawaii and sells Jim's plumerias. She doesn't have a web site either but sells on eBay quite frequently under the name of HawaiiSandy. I just received some really nice ones from Sandy such as Dwarf Richard Criley Rainbow, Ellen #15, J.L. Pupukea Crepe, and Plumeria species Terberculata. I've also received imported plumies from Australia, Thailand, and Singapore. The C-Star's ones are from Mexico. By the way, you can order a Vera Cruz Rose from Florida Colors if you wish, but you have to call them to order it because it is not listed on their web site.

Still in NJ, but should be back mid-October.

Teresa's mother is doing well, but short on inflows. She did weather Dennis, OK. (We had gone down for 10 days.)

My cuttings from her are, also, heavy with leaves, but no inflows. My whites are the most prolific -- superabundance of blossoms.

Be well.

Ah, you've got to love those whites! I'm glad to hear that your mother plant and your house and property weathered Dennis all right. Those hurricanes are pretty darn scary and destructive. If you ever lose your mother plant, let me know, and I'll get some cuttings right back to you. Be well also:-)

Clare, do you know what the blue flowers next to the Vera Cruz Rose are?

Loved the pictures. And to think I lived most of my life just a few miles away! I'm still waiting (since May) for mine to show any signs of life.

Kathleen

Hi Kathleen and thanks. You should go to C-Stars, if you can, just to check out their warehouses! I think they've been there for about five years now. Check in at the office first and let them know that you'd like to wander. It should be no problem.

Are yours cuttings that are rooting? I can't remember if you told me about them before. If they were dormant for the winter, they should be awake by now unless they are cuttings that are still rooting.

The flowers next to Vera Cruz Rose are from Duranta erecta. I have one of these too that Kay sent me, and I just love it. The flowers have a soft vanilla smell.

Clare, I have cuttings that are NOT rooting. :-( With all the heat we're having, I thought they would be active by now, but not a sign of growth since May.

That blue flower is exquisite -- I have a real thing about blue -- and it's a great companion for your plumie.

Kathleen

Thanks, Kathleen. It's actually more purple than blue. I have a thing about blue too and have a lot of blue and purple flowers in my garden. Kay does too. Where's Kay? She loves lots of purple in her garden.

Some plumies just take longer to root than others. Does it have leaves at all? Can you post a picture of it? Is it still firm and green? Do you mist regularly or water? Does it move at all if you press on it lightly? I am concerned that it is rotting from the bottom, but before we have you gently remove it from its container, give it a feel and see if it feels nice and firm and tell us what color it is. Are there any wrinkles? We'll help you figure this out. It's either a very slow rooter, which is possible, or it is rotting at the bottom, which is also possible.

Clare, will try to get some pics soon. Purple is good, too!

Kathleen

Okay, Clare, hope this tells you something. A little detail is called for:

I started with five and originally planted three in May -- the first rainbow rotted almost immediately. I held back another rainbow and a celadine. The other day I went to pot those up and the 2nd rainbow had completely disintegrated -- just the shell left. The celadine was feeling just a slight bit soft in the middle, but not squishy, so I went ahead and potted it -- that's the one in the picture that doesn't have a stake.

The leaves on the cuttings were there when I rec'd them. I haven't noticed much (if any) change in them. The middle one feels solid in its pot -- the taller one on the end is not at all (in fact, I pulled it out and there is nothing, nada, zip going on with the bottom).

I've given them just the slightest bit of water since I potted them. We did have a heavy rain a couple of weeks ago, but that didn't seem to have any effect, good or bad.

They are on gravel and cement blocks and get sun all day. They are in a breezy spot, but also slightly protected by a raised bed on the windy side. Anything I missed that might help with the diagnosis? :-)

Any ideas will be appreciated.

Kathleen

The pictures tell me a lot. The ones with leaves standing at attention are doing fine and will have leaves very soon. The one that is very wrinkled is most likely rotten at the bottom. Pull that one up and cut off the rot until you see white wood. If there is no white wood, it is not save-able. I would mist the others to keep them plump and green.