order: gentianales
family: apocynaceae
genus: plumeria
species: alba
First published on 06/05/2012:
I finally obtained a frangipani from a bonsai shop that also happened to have some rare exotic plants. It wasn't cheap, but it's worth the money. I actually wanted to have a red frangipani, but for some reason the gardener was reluctant to give it to me. So there a common white frangipani.
After winter the plant is still looking awkward. It'll need some time to revive its beauty. I hope it's going to give me some blooms this year. The gardener mentioned that in Germany, this plant, like apple trees, may bloom plentifully in a year and not in the next. He also mentioned that they drop their leaves in winter. The moment I heard that I thought it's probably like adeniums, given ample warmth they could retain their leaves. Frankly, I think his frangipanis don't thrive well in his greenhouse. But again, I think it's a question of heating cost. However respectfully, he managed to keep all the exotic tropical plants, like the warmth-loving gingers, at the temperature of as low as 14 °C. I know he loves frangipanis. He'd been keeping this plant for some time, so it was difficult for him as he said "bye, my baby!"
This plant is heavily infested by spider mites and scale insects. The gardener applied a spray on it before handing it to me. Back at home I thought things were going to be fine and so just left it there for a few days. On a sunnier day I moved it closer to the window for inspection and was terrified by the sight of hundreds of tiny red creatures crawling up and down the plant's large foliage and their eggs sticking on it. I immediately moved it outside and sprayed with jet of water and wiped off with tissue paper. I managed to clear the topside of the leaves, but didn't do the job as neatly for the underside. Besides scales insects are visible on the underside. On the next sunny day I'll carry out a second inspection and further treatment.
>>Update (August 2012):
There are more than twenty new leaves this year, and it's still growing. But July went by without any flower to be seen on this plant. I had been using a liquid fertiliser with 8-8-6 macronutrients, which didn't help. Later I got a bloom booster fertiliser with 10-52-10. Two applications so far, and too late. I don't think it's going to flower this year.
Insects come and go. Well, they don't go on their own. I shoo them on their way. I have seen ants, bees and flies crawling about axils of leaves, as if there's something irresistible to be found there. Other insects bite on the leaves and the growing tip causing them to bleed white milky sap. I found an insect dead in a dried up mass of milky sap. It's either trapped or poisoned to death. Also after heavy rains, the plant usually ended up bleeding. I wonder how they survive in the tropical area known for their award-winning downpours. One other phenomenon I noticed is that, when the tree is shaken, especially in the evening, its upper leaves tend to tilt upwards, going back to their earlier position. Also new young leaves like to curl on the longitudinal margin in response to changing wetness in the soil.
I found a pot for the frangipani but I'm not very happy with it. It is the simplest I could find so far. However the pot gives me the impression of being overly massive, which weighs the plant's slender stem down. I would prefer something lighter. Also the colour is too much of a contrast to the foliage. Brown or even grey would be calmer.
>>Update (7/10/2013):
Who says frangipani doesn't grow in the winter? As opposed to common belief, my frangipani has kept its leaves throughout the winter. When it moved deep into winter, the 2 year-old leaves were shed and new ones emerged on three new shoots around the flower stalk that by now was full of buds that had fully developed. The new shoots kept on elongating, but the flowers only came into show as late as mid-summer. As this was happening, the tree actually dropped leaves close to the cluster of flowers to make room for them to open, and probably also make them more visible to the pollinators. The flowers were initially a vibrant pink which, as they opened up, became white with faint pink taint that is difficult to capture with a camera. Also, the gradient of their yellow centre is less concentrated than it appears on photos I've taken. When the flowers have worn off, it set abscission zones on the flower stalk branches. Each one dried up and dropped to the ground leaving no scar despite their sizeable cross-sections. This year's leaves have reduced in size by half as compared to last year. At the end of the growing season outside, new shoots have reached 25 cm. With that my little frangipani tree is standing close to 1 metre tall now. I should start worrying about how I can move it in and out after another year's growth. At the moment, there's no sign of new flower stalks on the new shoots. We shall see if these are coming still between now and next summer.
family: apocynaceae
genus: plumeria
species: alba
First published on 06/05/2012:
I finally obtained a frangipani from a bonsai shop that also happened to have some rare exotic plants. It wasn't cheap, but it's worth the money. I actually wanted to have a red frangipani, but for some reason the gardener was reluctant to give it to me. So there a common white frangipani.
After winter the plant is still looking awkward. It'll need some time to revive its beauty. I hope it's going to give me some blooms this year. The gardener mentioned that in Germany, this plant, like apple trees, may bloom plentifully in a year and not in the next. He also mentioned that they drop their leaves in winter. The moment I heard that I thought it's probably like adeniums, given ample warmth they could retain their leaves. Frankly, I think his frangipanis don't thrive well in his greenhouse. But again, I think it's a question of heating cost. However respectfully, he managed to keep all the exotic tropical plants, like the warmth-loving gingers, at the temperature of as low as 14 °C. I know he loves frangipanis. He'd been keeping this plant for some time, so it was difficult for him as he said "bye, my baby!"
This plant is heavily infested by spider mites and scale insects. The gardener applied a spray on it before handing it to me. Back at home I thought things were going to be fine and so just left it there for a few days. On a sunnier day I moved it closer to the window for inspection and was terrified by the sight of hundreds of tiny red creatures crawling up and down the plant's large foliage and their eggs sticking on it. I immediately moved it outside and sprayed with jet of water and wiped off with tissue paper. I managed to clear the topside of the leaves, but didn't do the job as neatly for the underside. Besides scales insects are visible on the underside. On the next sunny day I'll carry out a second inspection and further treatment.
>>Update (August 2012):
 |
| Frangi in its prospective new pot Aug 2012. |
There are more than twenty new leaves this year, and it's still growing. But July went by without any flower to be seen on this plant. I had been using a liquid fertiliser with 8-8-6 macronutrients, which didn't help. Later I got a bloom booster fertiliser with 10-52-10. Two applications so far, and too late. I don't think it's going to flower this year.
Insects come and go. Well, they don't go on their own. I shoo them on their way. I have seen ants, bees and flies crawling about axils of leaves, as if there's something irresistible to be found there. Other insects bite on the leaves and the growing tip causing them to bleed white milky sap. I found an insect dead in a dried up mass of milky sap. It's either trapped or poisoned to death. Also after heavy rains, the plant usually ended up bleeding. I wonder how they survive in the tropical area known for their award-winning downpours. One other phenomenon I noticed is that, when the tree is shaken, especially in the evening, its upper leaves tend to tilt upwards, going back to their earlier position. Also new young leaves like to curl on the longitudinal margin in response to changing wetness in the soil.
I found a pot for the frangipani but I'm not very happy with it. It is the simplest I could find so far. However the pot gives me the impression of being overly massive, which weighs the plant's slender stem down. I would prefer something lighter. Also the colour is too much of a contrast to the foliage. Brown or even grey would be calmer.
>>Update (7/10/2013):
 |
| On the last days of 2012. Flower stalk with a cluster of buds. |
Who says frangipani doesn't grow in the winter? As opposed to common belief, my frangipani has kept its leaves throughout the winter. When it moved deep into winter, the 2 year-old leaves were shed and new ones emerged on three new shoots around the flower stalk that by now was full of buds that had fully developed. The new shoots kept on elongating, but the flowers only came into show as late as mid-summer. As this was happening, the tree actually dropped leaves close to the cluster of flowers to make room for them to open, and probably also make them more visible to the pollinators. The flowers were initially a vibrant pink which, as they opened up, became white with faint pink taint that is difficult to capture with a camera. Also, the gradient of their yellow centre is less concentrated than it appears on photos I've taken. When the flowers have worn off, it set abscission zones on the flower stalk branches. Each one dried up and dropped to the ground leaving no scar despite their sizeable cross-sections. This year's leaves have reduced in size by half as compared to last year. At the end of the growing season outside, new shoots have reached 25 cm. With that my little frangipani tree is standing close to 1 metre tall now. I should start worrying about how I can move it in and out after another year's growth. At the moment, there's no sign of new flower stalks on the new shoots. We shall see if these are coming still between now and next summer.
 |
| Frangipani in flower in early August 2013. |
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