|
The Tucson Gardener |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
In the Garden Calendar
Local Garden Links
You're visiting Tucsongardener.com
|
Tucson's Plumeria
Guy
Plumeria are native to the warm tropical areas of South America, Mexico and the Caribbean. Named after French botanist Charles Plumier who lived and collected plants of the West Indies for three years in the late 1600s the small shrubs or trees are known for their fragrant clusters of colorful flowers that, depending on cultivar, can produce a variety of perfume like fragrances. For vacationers to the Hawaiian Islands, plumeria may be better recognized as the Lei flower. Detrick has managed to acquire through purchase, trade and propagation about 22 cultivars and keeps records of where the plant came from and when it was first potted. He has both Plumeria obtusa, or the Singapore Plumeria and Plumeria rubra. They both have the same growth habits - upright, bare branches with leaves on the ends - but the rubra has a pointed leaf where the obtusa leaf is more rounded.
Detrick admitted, as tropical plants, the plumeria struggle with Tucson's dry summer months and hot summer days. In the winter the plants can lose their leaves and need to be protected from freezing temperatures that can kill the plants. Detrick knows there has to be other plumeria growers in the Tucson area but he hasn't been able to locate them. "I would like to meet or communicate with other Tucson plumeria growers to see how they grow their plants. And I'd really like to track down the oldest plumeria tree in the city," he said. Since Tucson plumeria growers have been difficult to locate Detrick communicates with other plumeria enthusiasts through email, the Garden Web Bulletin Board and Yahoo Groups in hopes of learning more secrets about plumeria or sharing the information he's acquired through his three years of growing the plants.
Detrick has grown a few vegetables and housed a few houseplants prior to his near obsession with plumeria. He admits, "What fascinates me the most about plumerias is the flowers have so many different fragrances. Such words as peachy, citrus, rose, gardenia, fruity, spicy, coconut, lemon and buttered popcorn have been used to describe the scent of plumeria flowers." His favorite so far is Aztec Gold because of its intense peach fragrance.
Many of his plants have been started from cuttings (a 12 to18-inch pruned branch that's planted and rooted) and others from seed. Some of the plants he owns have been grafted to specific root stock. Plumeria produce large, brown, leathery seed pods. Although Detrick gets plenty of colorful and fragrant flowers he's yet to get a seed pod so that he can collect the seeds to propagate his collection. He uses a high in phosphorous plant food (10-50-10) and fertilizes his plants with a diluted dosage almost every time he waters during the growing season of spring and summer. His plants are grown in plastic containers and some containers are buried in the ground to help keep the soil cooler and also add support to the plants. The larger, tree like plants can get top heavy and can easily be blown over by sudden winds if not supported. Plumeria need sunshine to bloom. Tucson's harsh summer sun can burn the leaves so finding the right growing location can be a challenge. Frost tender, they also need protection from Tucson's winters. During cold spells Detrick constructs a small, plastic covered greenhouse to protect his large collection of plants. Supplemental heat keeps the greenhouse warm enough to protect the cold sensitive plumeria. In late fall, when subjected to cooler temperatures, the leaves turn yellow and fall off the plants leaving bare branches during the winter. The plants go dormant and need much less water and fertilizer than they do during spring and summer. In the greenhouse the tender growing tips and leaves can be susceptible to spider mites. When the plants flower, you have the best chance of new branches forming. No flowers, no new branches and your plumeria maintains its stick like appearance. Plants grown indoors as houseplants have trouble flowering under normal conditions and won't produce side branching. Under the right conditions, newly rooted plumeria cuttings can produce flowers within one year. Seedlings (plants started from seed) will take longer.
Detrick says, "I've yet to find that sweet spot for growing plumeria in our desert heat and sun. I've moved a handful of mature plants from under a 50 percent shade canopy and placed potted plumeria, in the ground, pot and all. The theory was if the root zone temps stay constant, then the plant could cope better with Tucson's extreme heat and sun. The plants continue to bloom but the leaves take a beating and the flowers fade faster. Some of the flowers never open completely before fading. I sure would like to know if other Tucson plumeria growers have had success getting blooms and still maintain healthy, green leaves. Mine fade because of the sun exposure. Florida Colors Nursery sent me nearly 20 cuttings for a rooting experiment," Detrick added. "I started rooting them in black plastic, one gallon nursery pots. I read online that you should place the cuttings in full sun or even on pavement for bottom heat. Full sun in Arizona is not the same as full sun elsewhere. The cuttings cooked in the sun." Detrick knows he still has plenty to learn about growing plumeria in Tucson and if someone in Tucson knows the secret to consistent plumeria growing success, he'd sure like to hear from them. If you would like additional information on plumeria visit Plumeria101 the Web site that claims it can provide everything you want to know about growing Plumeria. Closer to Tucson you can visit Phoenix Tropicals where one Phoenix grower shares his plumeria experiences. "The majority of my collection has come from trades or buying from other enthusiasts online," Detrick said, but he also suggests Florida Colors Nursery and Packer Nursery if Tucson gardeners want to acquire plants or cuttings on the internet. (2004) |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
