How’s it going world? I hope everyone is having a wonderful day today! Spring is finally showing her face and we’re getting out of those cold and dreary winter months. People are going out into their yards to plant roses and vegetable gardens and maybe some fruit trees. I really love this time of year (except for the bizarre freezes that seem to sneak up every now and then and kill all the flowers). What’s everyone planting this year? Anyone starting a Venus Flytrap bog in the backyard? Maybe putting together a patio pond to grow some water lilies? One of my favorite plants is the Plumeria tree, also known as Frangipani, also known as the Hawaii lei flower tree. And because it’s one of my favorites I’ll talk a little about it here.

Anyone that has ever been to Hawaii will instantly recognize the plumeria flower. They come in all kinds of colors and all kinds of fragrances.

Now Plumeria is a tropical plant. It will not survive a freeze without some serious assistance. So since I live in a northern state that has snow in the winter, I can’t plant my plumies in the ground. Instead, I went online and ordered a couple seeds (50) and when they were delivered I used some special secret tricks to get them to germinate. I soaked them in water overnight and then wrapped them in a moist paper towel, put them in a sandwich bag and hung them in my windows with tape. Then, when they germinated I transplanted them into disposable cups with holes cut in the bottom and I used a mixture of sand, soil, and some perlite. Once they were all potted up, I put them under some LED grow lights and watered them about 3 times a week. That was about 3 years ago. Because these are trees, I had to upsize the pots several times in order to keep them healthy and happy, and I made a home for them in my basement under a few more grow lights. They are very happy and I actually had one of them flower last year. In order to promote flowering, you need to mix some high phosphorus fertilizer (phosphorus is the middle number and my fertilizer has a ’50’ rating). The one that flowered has lived its entire life under LED grow lights so it is possible to do (although I’ll be the first to admit that full sun would probably be better).

I can hear the question already, “Mr. Jack what are you planning to do when the Plumeria actually become a tree?” Well there are several ways I could go with that. Ideally I’ll make a lot of money and I can afford to build a three story heated greenhouse that I can plant my Plumeria in. Then I’ll build a raised pond (with glass sides so you can sit on the ground and stare at the fish eyeball to eyeball). Then I can plant all kinds of other tropical plants in my greenhouse and make an indoor oasis to sit in. Plan two is that I can give my larger specimens to my mom so she can plant them in the ground down in south Texas and I can visit them whenever I want. Plan three is that I can start pruning them so they spread out instead of up and make 10′ tall bonsai Plumeria (because the ceiling in my basement is about 10′ for some reason). Or I can do a combination of my ideas.

When I first bought my Plumeria seeds I didn’t really think about what I’d do with them years down the road. And I don’t think anyone thought they’d actually live this long to be honest. But I really enjoy taking care of them and it’s very rewarding when one of them blooms and the whole room starts to smell like a tropical island! Well, that’s about it for my Plumeria blog. If anyone has any questions about my plants or plants in general just drop a line down in the comments and if I don’t know the answer I’ll find out for you! Have a blessed day and stay safe out there everyone!