Frangipani- Rubra Cream Plumeria

Frangipani care is easy as long as you can meet its needs for warm sunshine and humidity. Vigorous and a prolific bloomer, these make a beautiful potted houseplant.

Thick, woody branches carry pointed leaves that grow up to 30 centimetres. Big clusters of fragrant flowers grow like bouquets on branch tips from early summer through autumn.

Frangipani flowers are each made up of 5 overlapping petals. The waxy blooms are about 5 centimetres wide and are available in many shades of pink, red, yellow or white — or any combination.

These flowers are among the most fragrant of any tropical flowering plant. Its essential oil is commonly used as fragrance for perfume, lotion, candles and other scented products. These tropical plants are a common sight in Hawaii, where the fragrant plumeria flowers are used to make flower leis.

This Central American native prefers bright light and moderate humidity. If you can give plumeria care that it needs, you’ll enjoy this spectacular tropical plant in your home for many years.

Year-Round Plumeria Care

Repot young plants in spring when their roots have filled the container. Move it to a pot only one size larger. When planting plumeria, care should be taken to choose a pot with drainage holes to prevent root rot. Is it too big to repot? You can top-dress it instead by removing the top 5-8 centimetres of soil and replacing it with fresh soil.

Prune it back. You can control its size and encourage plumeria to branch out by regular pruning. Flower clusters grow from the branch tips, so you’ll get more flowers this way. Cut at a 45° angle, just above a node (the place where a leaf or branch is attached to the stem). Use sharp pruners to avoid tearing the stems. Cutting plumeria branches back by 1/3 won’t hurt it at all — this is a vigorous plant. Prune in late winter or early spring.

Give it a winter rest. Frangipani tree will go dormant in the winter months, shedding its leaves and requiring a cool rest. Put it in a cool room — a basement or garage is ideal as long as the temperature doesn’t drop below 13°C. Water sparingly and stop fertilizing until new growth begins in spring.