Frangipani (Plumeria): growing, watering and care

Frangipani, also known by its botanical name plumeria, is a shrub used indoors for its appealing blooming and its great ornamental qualities. Outdoors, it only grows well in warm climates.

 

Frangipani (plumeria) at a glance

Name	Plumeria
Common name	frangipani
Family	Apocynceae or dogbane
Type	perennial
Height	5 feet (1.5 meters) indoors, 32 feet (10 meters) in its natural environment
Exposure	full sun or well-lit (indoors)
Soil	rather rich and well drained
Foliage	semi evergreen
Flowering	summer

Caring for it requires care for watering, location and to avoid diseases.

Planting and repotting of frangipani

Indoors, growing frangipani requires rather rich soil: best use a good soil mix.

If you plan to grow frangipani outdoors, wait for spring and choose a sunny spot.

• But take note that this plant is native to Central America, and probably won’t adapt to any cold climate. Temperatures must never drop below 50°F (5°C).
• Prefer well drained soil to avoid any risk of stagnating water.
• Blend the soil mix with river sand (80/20 ratio or 1/5^th sand) and layer clay pebbles at the bottom to increase drainage.

Plant so the top of the root ball sits level with the surface.

Once the shrub grows too heavy to lift, scrape off the top layer of old compost and replace it with fresh mix instead of repotting.

Pruning frangipani trees

It isn’t really a requirement to prune.

Remove wilted flowers regularly in order to boost flower-bearing and keep the plant from dispensing energy to try preparing fruits.

Frangipani blooms from terminal inflorescences at branch tips, so heavy pruning can delay flowering for a season, though each cut tip often regrows into two or more flowering branches.

Wear gloves: the cut stems bleed an irritant milky latex.

Watering frangipani

Frangipani only requires very little water in winter, but needs more regular watering in spring and summer, especially if it’s hot.

That is the most essential need for it to bear flowers. If you can’t water, the tree will survive even long droughts, but it might not bloom as much.

• In winter, it is even a good thing to let the soil dry up entirely.
• Start watering again slowly in spring as soon as the leaves start unfurling.
• In summer you can water often, preferably with rain water that is naturally soft (or mineral water).
• When you do water, soak the pot until water runs from the drainage holes, then tip out whatever collects in the saucer.

Caring for frangipani

Frangipani is easygoing and requires very little care.

Indoors, in an apartment, choose a very sunny location, in direct sunlight for the most part of the day, while avoiding excessively desiccating situations such as just behind a window.

You can bring it outdoors in summer, from late spring to early autumn or mid-autumn, but take care not to transfer it immediately to a scorching location because this could dry the plant up and brutal changes can stress it considerably.

To flower well, frangipani requires a certain change in seasons, marking the dry winter period and the moist summer season.

Frangipani through the year: what to do and when

Frangipani flowers only if the year is clearly divided into a dry season and a moist one. The table below sums up what the plant asks for at each stage.

Respect that alternation and the rest of the care is minimal.

Which frangipani to choose?

Plumerias differ mainly in flower colour, scent and how bushy they stay, which matters a great deal when the plant has to live in a pot and come indoors. The selection below gathers the varieties most often offered by mainstream suppliers.

Common disease that infects frangipani

If you discover cottony white clumps, there is no doubt about it: scale insects.
This parasite appears when the air in the room is too dry and the temperature is high.

• Check our page on how to eradicate scale insects.

It may also happen that the frangipani is faced with rotting when the soil is too moist.

Only water when the soil is dry, and also check that your pot lets excess water drain out away from the roots, it must be well drained and have holes at the bottom.

Leaves turning yellow on Plumeria

This is usually the result of overwatering. Roots start rotting and can’t sustain the tree anymore.

• Check that the pot drains well. Sometimes roots will clog the drainage hole on older plants.
• Place the pot on a bed of gravel so that it doesn’t wallow in excess water.
• In the ground, make sure your tree is planted where water doesn’t accumulate. If the soil is heavy best lighten it up to increase drainage or set up a raised garden.

Learn more about Plumeria, the frangipani tree

This flower is connected in many cultures to immortality. Indeed, a cut branch can still bear flowers and take root even weeks after having been detached from the tree! It is present in many temples and cemeteries across SouthEast Asia.

The scent is sweet and fragrant, strong without being overpowering. A true winner!

Since it also represents eternity, some even select it as a flower to decorate weddings, to reflect on the engagement “till death do us part”. But this is a challenging endeavor because the individual flower only lasts a single day when picked. It requires flawless logistics!

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