Plumeria ?

I know this is not a square foot topic, but I just got a 12" cutting of plumeria. I was wondering if anyone knows whether I should cut the leaves off before rooting the cutting.

What a beautiful flower. I wish you luck with your new cutting!

The starts I bought never had leaves on them...and left me as the target of lots of jokes about "planting a dead stick" ....until they bloomed.

If there are *lots* of leaves, you might want to remove some of them...but I wouldn't want to remove them all, as they're what's producing the energy for your "dead stick" to form roots and new leaves!

Well I went ahead and planted it as is. I think I may go cut another shoot, trim the large leaves, and do a comparison. Wish me luck.

My girlfriend brought me back 2 sticks of this from Disney
How hard is it to plant and how large will it get

To plant plumeria is dead easy -- stick the cut end of the stick in a pot and water it. That's it. It's tropical, so you can't let it dry out...but other than that, it's not terribly fussy.

EXCEPT for cold. You absolutely have to keep from freezing, as it will drop every last leaf if it gets cold. In LA, it might be a better container plant.

In the ground, they can get huge -- 8 feet or so, but a really handsome plant...and the fragrance of the flowers is worth every penny.


Added: If they were purchased at Disney (during the Epcot Garden Festival, I'm guessing) they likely came from the same nursery I always bought mine from -- here's their care and feeding instructions:

http://www.exoticplumeria.com/instructions.htm

About how big will these things grow

check your glasses, Toastie...my posts says they get up to 8 feet or more.

About how wide are they also. I was thinking of putting them out int he front of my house

They have a wide, spreading habit -- take a look at the website I referenced - they have an enormous gallery of photos.

To be really honest, though, I don't think you're warm enough in the winter to put them in the ground. They're gone in the first frost.

Well I am south of I-10 if that is any indication.
We do have frost from time to time thought
So I would be better off putting them in some big pots and then rolling them in when there is a frost
I will have to check out that website once I get home from work

From what I have read, they can get upwards of 20-30 feet, but do very well in pots (not growing larger than the pot will allow), pruning can also reduce size. They do not tolerate frost at all, so me being 9b may still have an issue with this, though I want it planted in the ground. I also read that they go dormant in the winter and need no water, some people dig em up and hang em in the attic untill spring, then replant and they take off where they left off. I drove around my neighborhood untill I found a sizeable plant, then just knocked and asked if i could take a 12" cutting, so I don't know how well this cultivar blooms or what color, so hopefully it will do well. This really is a stunning plant, and aside from frost very resilient, and drought resistant. I have always been a produce guy, but now am really getting into aesthetic plants. I am currently trying to root confederate jasmine, several different hibiscus colors, and will dig up a traveling palm division from my mom's house this weekend.

Just make sure you really, really want confederate jasmine...once it
roots, it takes off like a house afire and it's all but impossible to
get rid off (but ohhhhh, it smells so gorgeous!) I'd love to have it
here -- I've got lots of garden walls to cover, and the Virginia creeper
drives me crazy.

Different cultivars of plumeria get to different sizes...I've never seen
a 30-footer, even in Miami...but wow, it'd knock you over with the
fragrance when it's in bloom!

When they're dormant, plumeria look bizarre -- like a forked broomstick
stuck in the ground.

And yes, they're really cold-sensitive...even in Tampa, I lost a few to
frost, and had to hack others back severely after cold snaps.

LaFee wrote:Just make sure you really, really want confederate jasmine...once it
roots, it takes off like a house afire and it's all but impossible to
get rid off (but ohhhhh, it smells so gorgeous!) I'd love to have it
here -- I've got lots of garden walls to cover, and the Virginia creeper
drives me crazy.
.

I had no problem getting ride of the Confederate Jasmine in the house I just bought. Now the Virginia Creeper is growing like wildfire along some of my fences

I have a fence around my compost pile, I plan on letting the jasmine take over that fence to hide it visually and provide cover for the smell(though it doesn't smell much). I know it can be invasive if left unchecked, but I just love the smell.

I've lived in florida my whole life and I've never seen a plumeria over 10' either, but my online research tells me differently.

Jon

My "stick" is now 3 years old and about 3' tall. It is now blooming for the first time. It has about a dozen buds on it and the aroma is heavenly. We bring it in every winter, but it miraculously tolerates our brutal summers.

Beautiful!

sanderson wrote:Beautiful!

It makes me feel rich. I'm the only kid on the block with a blooming plumeria on my deck.

Beautiful! I have the same white and yellow plumera.  I found out that it responds well to thick wood chip mulch and compost tea...

 
This picture was taken last winter during dormancy. It had no leaves, but wouldn't stop flowering! LOL

dstack wrote:Beautiful! I have the same white and yellow plumera.  I found out that it responds well to thick wood chip mulch and compost tea...

 
This picture was taken last winter during dormancy. It had no leaves, but wouldn't stop flowering! LOL

Gorgeous! I can smell it from here.

Hi, Dstack!