A Sweet and Fragrant idea To My Fellow AR Friends.
I have a major obsession and passion with the Plumeria (also known as frangipani) plant or tree as it's turned out to be on my property. Having had the opportunity to surf and travel througout many of the Tropical Islands, Mexico and the Southwest US I couldn't help but notice this beautiful and fragrant plant growing along the shoreline and in the tropical forests everywhre. So about ten years ago I began collecting and propagating various Plumaria species throughout the world. It's definitely one of the most passionate and beautiful plants on our planet.
You can grow Plumeria anywhere and in any climate as long as you take some precaution and safety measures to protect them. They are a tropical seasonal plant going dormant in the winter and they need pruning and cutting back every year. But it's easy and fun to do. All you need is some hand pruners and root hormone which can be purchased at Home Depot, Lowes or any garden center.
The beauty is that it all starts with one small ugly little cutting that looks like a scraggly old mans leg (Check out some of the links below for a more comprehensive overview and photos). You can plant it in the ground if you're in a tropical and warm climate and leave it there to grow and flourish into a beautiful tree in about 5 to 6 years.
However, it's best to start them out in one gallon containers for optimum development as they tend to thrive in soil that has good drainage i.e. Cactus Mix. But for those who live in colder climates you really have no choice but to grow them in containers and attractive pottery that can be moved into a warm environment during the cold and dormant months.
I started out less than ten years ago with one little cutting and now have a virtual tropical forest proliferating throughout my property and am now in a real fix. I have to cut them back and manicure them every year to keep them healthy and vibrant and as a result end up with piles of cuttings that I later have to plant in the Spring. But I'm running out of room. I only have one acre and its already inundated with myriad species of Plumeia, fruit trees, plants, tropical palms and fruit trees, shrubs and vegetables. Problem is that I'm not in the plant selling business and really have no desire to be at this point of my life.
So I am reaching out to the AR community to those of you who have green thumbs and like to play in your gardens. I would love to sell these cuttings, or should I say practically give them away, to any member who would like to give them the proper TLC. I will only charge $5 per cutting plus postage which can be from about $3 to $5 depending on the distance and whether or not they have to be weather protected. Professional growers can get upwards of $15 per cutting so I'm definitely not looking to get rich in the Plumeria biz. The $5 just covers my barebones handleing expense so I don't have to reach into my pockets.
The cutting would come with a root hormone on the cut end to protect, feed and seal it. Once you receive it just keep it in a warm place in your garage, nursery or even in your home somewhere above 50 degrees. Then in early Spring after your last thaw you can plant the cutting in a decorative pot filled with Cactus grow as Plumeria loves drainage. Then just place it outside where it can get lots of sun preferably on the West side of your property. You only need to water it once or twice a week so it is really a pretty low maintenance plant.
If everything goes according to plan you will start seeing blooms that turn into beautiful fragrant flowers by early to mid summer and they will stay with you until fall whence they will start to drop the flowers and the leaves. Plumeria flowers are what the Hawaiians make leis from. They also make beautiful floral center pieces. What I like to do is float them on top of water in attractive crystal or glass finery. Or you can actually take entire clusters of flowers and suspend them in transparent water filled bowels and vases where they will last for days. They make beautiful wedding center pieces.
If you happen to be visiting the San Diego area in July and Augest please give me a call or drop me an email and Janis and I would love to invite you over to our home to see our Plumeria in full bloom.
Below are some links that I often refer to for information and knowledge. Frankly I'm the farthest thing in the world from a horticulturist and couldn't give you the botanical name for a blade of grass so I need to do a lot of reading and studying. For many of you garden lovers though Plumeria will be a no brainer.
http://www.theplumeriasociety.org/spps/ahpg.cfm?spgid=26
http://www.ehow.com/how_172670_grow-plumeria.html
http://www.hawaii-top-ten.com/plumeria_care.htm#Temperature:
http://www.exoticplumeria.com/instructions.htm Helpful hints on caring for your Plumeria
The youtube video link below is a must see if you really want to get the mood. It sets the tone with some beautiful music while while scanning through a plethora of peaceful Plumeria images and settings.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rGr1bCjpi6E&feature=player_embedded#
Aloha & Mahalo!
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