Nancy03

We live is Florida where Plumeria trees do grow (although we rarely see them). I would like to bring back from our honeymoon a starter of a Plumeria tree. Do they have such a thing? I was hoping the a fresh market in Wiakiki, might have a small 12" plant in a small potted base that I could bring back and plant. Is this realistic? I know I can get a tree from a local Florida nursery, but it would be more symbolic, if we could bring it back from our Honeymoon.

Thanks

cruisin_tigger

I don't think you'll have a problem finding something. I don't remember exactly what stores they were in, but I remember seeing them all the time. They package little parts of the plant, a root or bulb or whatever, in a little plastic bag with growing instructions and its safe to take back to the mainland. I think it was mostly where you can find souvenirs, which in Hawaii is just about anywhere!

I love some of those tropical plants, but living in Chicago it just doesn't work.

Leona

I brought one back from New Orleans last year. It never sprouted anything, just shriveled up & dried out. I live in the NE, maybe in the SE you have a better chance of success.

Tandoori_Girl

Nancy03, don't buy a "sprout" -- instead buy an actual branch of the plant. To be on the safe side, buy a few from a nursery. They are unpotted "sticks", about an inch around, no roots, no pot, no dirt to get all over your luggage or bags.

The plant becomes dormant during the winter in Florida and loses its leaves. I live in Tampa and every five years or so we have a short hard freeze. When I hear this is going to happen, I uproot the plant (it has barely any roots) and bring it inside, as it will not live through a freeze. I plant it after the freeze has passed and it always comes back in the spring. Getting it to flower is a whole other issue, and not knowing where in Florida you live, you will need to figure out what best to do for your area. Be patient with it, plant it in the sun, and enjoy.

jersey

I live in NJ and can attest that they will grow. I brought back my "stick" four years ago. I might add, much to the derision of my family. Well, not only has it grown but it also flowers every summer. I have it in a 18" pot and move it outside for the summer and bring it back in for the winter. Right now its dormant, but it will flower again this summer.

kimjoy

Jersey, how often did you water your sprout? We have brought 2 back at two different times and we live in Orlando and have had no luck in growing them.

gail

What is a Plumeria?

Tandoori_Girl

Plumeria is the plant that produces the flower that is used to make the Hawaiian lei.

jersey

I hate to confess this, but I water it when I remember. When its dormant it gets watered pretty much when its dry but in the warm weather I try to water it frequently. I figure it its a tropical plant it is most likely used to humidity (we have that in NJ) and lots of moisture. I'm not a master gardener but for some reason it refuses to die for me.... Thank God. When I first brought it home I just stuck it in a pot and followed the directions. I do recall it took quite a while to begin growing (many months). I was at the butt end of many jokes from my family for a long time but who has the last laugh now? It flowers creamy white flowers in the summer!

noryglory

I bought two of these "Plumeria sticks" at the airport on the way home as an afterthought--one for me and one for my mom. Mine never did much but send a few leaves out and died but my mom's grew into a decent plant and actually flowered once, but then it died. It was still nice for her to have for a couple of years. She lives in Washington state but had it in her well-lit bathroom, so it got good humidity and light even though the true climate in the NW is obviously very different. I think it is a lot of luck no matter where you live!!

abbekit

Over ten years ago we brought back a couple of small branches (like Tandori girl mentions). The branches were about 6 inches long. We potted them in small pots and they rooted just fine. As they grew larger we transplanted them to larger and larger pots until we eventually had rather large trees.

We live in northern Texas where it is warm much of the year but does get below freezing in the winter. We simply bring the pots into the garage for the winter. They drop all their leaves but each spring after we put them back outside they grow like crazy. They bloom every year and the flowers smell wonderful.

The original trees grew too large and root bound for us to keep them (since we can't plant them outside without killing them during the winter) but each year we break off another branch to root so now we have a number of small trees of various sizes in pots Even the small trees flower. We practice organics so we only add compost to the soil and repot every few years with fresh dirt. In our summer heat we water daily. The rest of the year we only water when they don't get rain. During the winter while the pots are in the garage we only water every month.

To give you and idea of how large our potted trees get, once we brought the largest tree inside the house for the winter. Our (16 pound) cat thought it was his personal tree for climbing and used to climb it and lay in the (leaf-less) branches.

It's worth trying if you really want a plumeria tree. Nothing beats that smell to transport you back to Hawaii!