Plumeria
January 7, 2017
I have been given a Plumbago that has gotten quite large...I have cut off Rubber Tree Plants, and rooted the cut off portion, and it has sprouted from the cut off stalk...would the Plumbago do the same?
I wonder if you have a plumbago or a plumeria. There are two plants commonly called plumbago--one is a semi-evergreen groundcover in the shade with dark blue flowers - Ceratostigma plumbaginoides while the other is a moderately hardy perennial with pale blue flower with a sprawling growth habit - Plumbago auriculata. Neither would grow tall on a thick stalk like a rubber tree produces. However, Plumeria--the tropical plant which produces showy, fragrant blooms and is often used to make the traditional leis in Hawaii will form a stalk similar to a rubber tree and could root easily if cut back. If you have ever been to Hawaii, they sell small pieces of unrooted stalks in convenience stores all over the place, and they easily root and grow into plants once home.
May 2012
I would like to plant a plumeria but don't know if they will work in my situation.
They are fairly expensive so I am asking before the purchase. It will be in a pot
on my patio (apt dweller) which gets direct sun or not as I have a high-end solar
sun screen shade that I can control to shade or sun the area. If you think it will
work there, what do I do with it in the winter? Inside I have two 4 ft. grow lights
that I use for a pretty large fish-tail palm if that would help and an afternoon sunny
window.
Plumeria is a great tropical plant for a patio, and it loves full sun. You are correct
that it would not overwinter outdoors, but you have several options. It can come indoors
and grow well in a sunny room, or you can simply store it in a garage—some place where
it will not freeze. We used to have a gardener in Hot Springs who had 20 or more plants.
He planted them in the garden in late spring, had a flowering oasis by late summer,
and in the fall, simply pulled them up and stored them bare root in his garage until
the following spring. If you have ever been to Hawaii, you see them sold as a small
dead looking stem with no leaves or roots. As long as they aren't freezing, they should
do fine, but would also do well in a pot inside.
September 2011
I have a plumeria tree. It is now over 5' tall and I moved it to Arkansas with me
six years ago from California. I bring the plumeria in every winter, and so far it
has done great. The problem is now it has outgrown the pot that it's in. When would
be the best time to try to repot the plant? In a few weeks it will start to go dormant
and lose all of its leaves. Should I repot before or after?
I think it would be easier on you and the plant to repot when you move it back outdoors
next spring. Some folks even store their plumeria bare-root—simply pull it out of
the soil, let dry and store in protected, cool, dry place. Think about those chunks
of stems you can buy with no roots in Hawaii, and then they magically grow, once potted.
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