If you’ve ever tried to grow plumeria but just never got the thick, stick-like cutting to grow, let alone blossom, you know how frustrating it can be.
Help is on the horizon, though, because at 9 a.m. June 25, Armstrong Garden Centers in Novato and San Anselmo will show you how to successfully grow plumeria — one of the most fragrant of tropical plants — for free.
Shoppers can also pick out new plumeria plants to grow at home, choosing from a selection of white, yellow or dark-to-light pink blossoms ranging in price from $16.99 for a 1-gallon plant to $34.99 for a 2-gallon plant or $59.99 for a 5-gallon plant.
“Plumeria plants add a little bit of tropical living to a home and are a great accent for any garden with their bright and fragrant blooms,” says Gary Jones, Armstrong Garden Center’s chief horticulturist.
Popular for their fragrance and beautiful sculptural shape, plumerias “work well as a small tree, as focal points and they thrive in containers,” he explains. “Plant them near your patio so you can experience their fragrance close up.”
And, while it’s “mostly true that white and yellow plumeria blossoms are more fragrant than other colors, the range of fragrances that plumeria has is enormous from strong to mild, sweet gardenia-like to peachy, spicy to pure floral, rose, coconut and citrus,” he says.
Plumeria is native to Mexico and South and Central America, which might be surprising because the blossom is so familiar as a favorite Hawaiian lei flower. But, in their native lands, plumerias thrive in full sunlight and moderate precipitation, where they can reach from 15 to 35 feet tall and spread up to 20 feet in diameter.
They even do spectacularly when planted in the warm climes of Southern California, where they bask in the sun and bloom with carefree abandon.
But can they bloom as easily and happily here in the cooler temperatures of Marin? Given proper care, Jones says, plumerias cannot only survive here, but also thrive, and can fit right in to a drought-friendly garden.
“Plumeria is very particular when it comes to its growing conditions, but it’s also very water-wise,” he adds. In fact, it doesn’t tolerate overwatering or poorly drained soils.”
Here are some tips from Jones to growing successful plumeria.
• Proper planting is key to a plumeria’s survival. For complete planting, watering, fertilizing and pruning instructions, visit www.armstronggarden.com and click on “plant guides” then click on “Plumeria.”
• Once planted, support the cutting with stakes so it can’t move and break its young roots.
• Place the cutting in filtered sunlight for a year, then transplant it into a 1-gallon container and move it to full sunlight. Replant into larger containers as needed, as plumerias grow faster in more space.
• Use a fertilizer high in nitrogen, such as E.B.Stone Hibiscus & Palm food, to combat yellowing leaves (leaf chlorosis), encourage green leaves and promote blooms.
• Fertilize with a water-soluble fertilizer high in nitrogen for the first few years. After that, switch to a fertilizer with more phosphorus for increased flower production.
• Control aphids and other insects with Bonide Rose Rx 3-in-1.
• Protect plumeria from frost. Apply E.B. Stone Sul-Po-Mag once in late September or October to help build the plant’s frost resistance. Plumerias in containers can be moved indoors during periods of extreme cold.
For more information, call the Novato store (415-878-0493) or San Anselmo store (415-459-2701), or go to www.armstronggarden.com.
Don’t-miss events
• Dads! Learn how to build an outdoor “football toss” game using circular and reciprocating saws and a drill then paint your project with grid lines in a free Father’s Day workshop from 10 to 11:30 a.m. June 18 at Home Depot at 111 Shoreline Parkway in San Rafael. Call 415-458-8675 or go to www.homedepot.com.
• The 16th annual Solstice Sale, featuring discounts on selected plants, bark, containers and fertilizers, takes place at Sloat Garden Center from 8:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. June 18 and 19 at 2000 Novato Blvd. in Novato (415-897-2169); 401 Miller Ave. (415-388-0365) or 657 East Blithedale Ave. (415-388-0102) in Mill Valley; 700 Sir Francis Drake Blvd. in Kentfield (415-454-0262); and 1580 Lincoln Ave. in San Rafael (415-453-3977). Members can shop early, from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. June 17. Go to www.sloatgardens.com.
• Children from ages 4 to 12 are welcome to take the “Builder’s Challenge” to build, play, engineer and destruct together from 3 to 4 p.m. June 17 at the South Novato Library at 931 C St. in Novato. Free. Materials provided on a limited first-come, first-served basis. Call 415-506-3165 or go to www.marinlibrary.org.
• Gardeners, pick up new tips for summer pruning from garden designer Laura Nicoletti for free from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. June 25 at a GardenSmart talk in the Creekside Room at the Mill Valley Public Library at 375 Throckmorton Ave. in Mill Valley. Free. Go to www.millvalleylibrary.org.
• Cut as much lavender as you can carry from a private lavender field in Sebastopol during annual Lavender Days from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on June 26 for yourself or for gifts. Bring your clippers, bags and sunhats. Donations requested and all proceeds are divided between local animal welfare and songbird groups. RSVP to doghairnancy@yahoo.com.
PJ Bremier writes on home, garden, design and entertaining topics every Saturday and also on her blog at DesignSwirl.co. She may be contacted at P.O. Box 412, Kentfield 94914, or at pj@pjbremier.com.
