Hurricane Dean surprise

Hey all...

First off, we are extremely thankful to be spared Hurricane Dean's wrath here in the Cayman Islands. He passed 100 miles south of us and we only experienced 60 mph winds yesterday. I wish a speedy recovery to all those not as fortunate with the first Hurricane of the season.

We watched the leaves getting blown off of so many of our plants knowing for sure that our plumies were in big trouble...much to our surprise, this morning's gentle rain and then sunshine provided just enough for my first bloom ever to emerge. We lost a bunch of other plants and so many are burned with salt spray but I am so relieved to see my first one survive...

Thanks for all the encouragement and prayers through this storm from so many of you fellow dg'ers...cant wait for the next 2 to bloom as i have no idea what color they might be...

aurabest,
john

That is a beauty, John! Just love plumies!

Thanks!!! yeah, for my first one ever I am happy to see that it survived...

j

and on the third day.....the stone was rolled away....

My joy at your good fortune is more than you know. Have recently discovered that a 18" length of plant that I bought last year is......drum roll.....a plumeria! Don't remember where I was when I got it. Now has some 9 leaves, in a 5 gallon decorative pot. Don't know what to expect next but if blooms like yours.....I will know I have died and gone to heaven.

God is good EVERYDAY!

It is such a relief to know that Dean was not as destructive as we feared and that now that the storm has passed the blossoms are celebrating.

DoInG tHe BloOmInG DaNcE! Yeah! Blow that picture up poster size, frame it as a constant reminder....Bet that Pumie's name is now Dean - huh?

Want a video of that, please.

That is a great idea...okay, officially named Dean. From now on, any storm with a man's name seems to be bad for us...Gilbert, Ivan, Dean....known as himmacanes not hurricanes....But, with such a lovely bloom, can't condemn the name...any idea of what it is??? Sorry I'm thick, but this cultivar stuff is over my head like the surface....

j

What it is - is beautiful! Plumies are so hard to differentiate... Oh, and btw...My Mom's name is Dean....so your record is still intact.

It's a beautiful rainbow, John! I don't recognize it as being one of the named and/or registered cultivars, but that makes it no less lovely. Congratulations, and I am so happy for you that you were spared by Dean. 'Hurricane Dean' is a great name for your plumie. Hope you and yours stay safe this hurricane season.

I think your plumie might be "Lei Rainbow". It looks just like mine that bloomed this year for the first time. It's a beauty...the first one is always sooooo exciting!

Joy, It's definitely not 'Lei Rainbow.' 'Lei Rainbow' has much more yellow in it with rounder petals and a little more overlap. Here's a picture of 'Lei Rainbow' aka 'Nebel's Rainbow.'

Here is a picture of my Lei Rainbow. It isn't nearly as orange as yours in the center, and the colors aren't as deep.

Maybe it's my Ohio weather, or the drought.

Sorry, the picture isn't good, but I think you can get the idea.

The confusion is actually involving the term "Lei Rainbow." It used to be generic term to mean a rainbow that was used in Leis, and one particular one, which was a particularly large stiff flower (good for lei making) was called 'Lei Rainbow' but then given a new proper name of 'Nebel's Rainbow.' There could be still be some sellers in Hawaii selling no-name rainbows under the name 'Lei Rainbow,' but it is not proper to call them that since the name now belongs to 'Nebel's Rainbow.' The real 'Lei Rainbow' aka 'Nebel's Rainbow' is a very tall grower. Here's mine:

Here is another pic of the flowers of 'Lei Rainbow,' which you can see looks very different than both pictures. In any case, John has a nice rainbow now called 'Hurricane Dean';-)

Uh Oh....John, look what you've started....the"Dean Plumeria identification controversy"....it may go on for years! You will have experts from the American Plumeria Society traveling down to the Caymans just to examine your Dean! Horticultural gurus from around the globe will debate for years (while kicking back with a little island hospitality :-) )! If your photos don't make you famous, maybe your Plumeria will!!

Now - you all know I am just kidding, joshing, having a little fun. No ruffled feathers here - that's an order!!

LOL -- not at all. We collectors are just a sticklers for keeping the names straight and correct and don't believe in just slapping a name on a plumeria based on a picture anyway. We all know how photos can make flowers appear different in different light. Even different growing environments can change the way a flower appears. If you've ever bought a plumeria on Ebay, and it was represented as one thing and turned out to be another, then you get how important it is to keep names straight. The great Jim Little, plumeria legend in Hawaii, even said that he won't identify a plumeria by a picture anymore, and I feel the same way. If I recognize a plumeria in a photo as a known named cultivar, I will say it "might be" or "could possibly be," but that is always with the caveat that it shouldn't be called that since one can't be sure that it is the real thing. Here's an article that I wrote about it: http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/687547/

Clare - very well stated in your article. I am quite familiar with Jim Little and his work. Sometime next month you will be seeing an article I wrote for the dailies about Plumeria, and I hope you keep in mind that it was written by an admirer, and grower....but not a "collector" such as yourself. Be kind in your critique.....

I am going through similar "name" troubles, trying to identify my Hibiscus. My little island is so tiny, and our plants have been brought from so many places, that I don't think there could possibly be any cultivars of ANYTHING remaining true here. We just enjoy them, and leave the unenviable chore of trying to identify them to the experts. :-)

That makes perfect sense, Clare. Thanks. I really love the "real" Lei Rainbow. Want to trade??? LOL.

Wish I had climate where I could grow them without hauling them in every year. But then I'd whine because I couldn't grow the stuff that takes cold. (Never satisfied!)

You are so knowledgable about plumerias, you are the Plumeria Goddess. =o)

Thanks everyone for the input. So many knowledgable people here....I am anxious to see the seconde plant start pushing out the blooms...forgive my ignorance in specific names for parts of the plant, the stem that looks like an asparagus spear with lots of small shoots, where flowers come out of...the second plant has a large one of these that looks like it will push out at least a dozen blooms....It is a different color than Dean, from what I was told when given them...thanks for the information here, you all are great!!

aurabest,
john

Thanks, all!

Shari, I'm sure your article will be enjoyable and interesting, and I promise not to critique you at all;-)

Joycet, you are too kind. It really is tough to grow tropical trees in your zone and requires a lot of hard work and dedication so my hat is off to you and all cold-weather growers.

John, it sounds like you have another infloresence...inflo for short, the flower stem that holds the buds and flowers. Congrats, Buddy! Please post when it blooms so we can all see. I love it when mysteries bloom. You never know what you are gonna get!

Shari, I meant to add that that blurb on Identification was something that I wrote for the FAQ's Sticky Thread and not really an article. I shouldn't have called it that, but I did write an article on plumerias a while ago here in case you or others didn't see it: http://davesgarden.com/guides/articles/view/45/

Thanks Miss Clare! I thought that was the correct term for what I described but figured those in the know, like yourself, would let me know....The way the weather is here, should only be a matter of 2 weeks and we will see what new colors we have...Of course, I will proudly post the newbies...thanks for sharing everyone!!!

j

Clare - wow - you packed a lot of information in there! My article is not a how-to (good thing - you would have done it much better!), it's more a history lesson. I find often find myself wondering how this or that came to be here, and that musing resulted in the article. Well - hopefully you'll see....

Everyone posting here with an interest in Plumies should check out the article Clare linked to. Tons of great info!!!!

Hiya John! Got sunshine this fine day?

Thanks, Shari! I'm glad you liked it! When your article gets posted, please let us know. I'm sure it will be great.

Don't you just get the dailies on your home page???

No, I have most of that stuff diabled! LOL!

Here is my plum. Until recently did not have a clue what is was or where it was going. Bought it as a mystery plant last year. Lost all of it's leaves while it stayed in for the winter. Have no GH so things are getting pretty tight. Would it be better in the garage......sometimes gets to lower 30's......guess I could drag it inside the house those nights. No big rush.....it is usually Dec. 1 before cooler weather is a worry.

Christi - I'm gonna let Clare handle that question....I never have to worry about low temps - but I'm sure she can give you some suggestions. I love that pretty green plant you have back to the right in the pic. We used to call them "string of pearls", don't know what the real name is...

Clare - some of the articles are really great! You should check em out!

No, low 30's wouldn't be good at all if your garage gets that cold. Dormant plants should be kept above 40 minimum, but 50 is better, but a low of 70 is best so your house sounds like the best option for you in the wintertime. There are some good threads on overwintering in the Sticky Thread that go into detail about what some people do in the wintertime who live in colder zones. The garage will work only if it stays warm enough.

That is one of my many varieties of sedum. Until these last few months everything I have was a "plant" or a "flower".....nothing had a name. You guys are making it soooo hard. At my age to have to put names with faces is really difficult...especially when the names are in Latin. (managed to get by without that in school.....took Spanish instead...that is another funny story). I will tryyy.

Sedum....cool! We are all on that same difficult path Christi! I am in the process of labeling all my plants, cuz I sure can't trust my memory ! I know the local names, or what I called things in Co. or CA, but the latins?! Nope - gotta write those down!