Hi Andrew!

Thanks for the lengthy reply!
Now I'm super excited to sniff mine if and when it ever blooms. Laugh.

I like the basket idea since mine has grown to the point where I'll either have to provide some support or let it trail down as it would do in a basket.
The only drawback I can think of is winter storage.
Seems like a hanging basket would be harder to store inside during the winter than an upright plant in a pot but I'll give it some thought. :)

Oh, I think the jasmine at Logee's you are referring to is called ‘Flore Plena’. It looks similar to 'Mysore Mulli'.

-Robert

Here is a link that might be useful: Logee's jasmine

Hi Robert. So sorry that I didn't respond to this sooner!

For me, hearing that I could grow a plumeria in a hanging basket was very exciting! I have WAY too many potted trees, and it has become a serious space issue for me. Also, not having many fragrant vining plants made this purchase a big plus for me. I have a Hoya, my stenopetala, and now(thanks to you) I have my jasmine.

My stenopetala has grown about three inches this summer, and it is showing no signs of stopping. Our weather this summer has been so cold and wet, and I am pleased to see that it is still plugging along.

Robert, I doubt you will be disappointed when your stenopetala blooms for you. I am all ready thinking I will plant at least one more wire basket with another stenopetala...LOL! I just wish that this species was easier to propagate, but from what I have heard, it does not root readily from cuttings.

Andrew

Andrew, no problem. Glad you nabbed the GDS! :)

So this morning after I was done watering my 5 zillion potted plants on a lark I decided to inspect P. stenopetala and lo and behold I think I have a tiny inflo! Woo hoo!

Sorry for the crappy grainy cell pic but I thought it was better than nothing. ;)

-Robert

This post was edited by robert1971 on Thu, Aug 21, 14 at 9:10

Ohhh. Yeaaaaa!!

;-)

Laura

Congrats, Robert, now the waiting starts!

Thanks guys!
And yes, now I'll be looking at that sucker every day, impatiently waiting. Laugh.
Maybe I'll have pics for the Blooming in September thread. :)

-Robert

wow congrats Robert no sign of buds on my Stenopetala yet :( but fingers crossed for your little bud :)

I do have what i think is buds on my artabotrys hexapetalus :) i have counted 3 so far.
Here is a pic what do you think?

This post was edited by fragrant2008 on Thu, Aug 21, 14 at 12:54

Thanks, Brian! I hope yours finally decides to produce some inflos as well!

Hmm...I've never grown that plant but it sure looks like buds to me! Hope it blooms soon.
Let us know your thoughts on its scent if it does. :)

-Robert

Shouldn't be much longer!
This one seems to not take long to open its flowers but I guess I shouldn't count my chickens before the eggs hatch. ;)

-Robert

"chickens before the eggs hatch" mmm i have done that before on a orchid spike that got munched on by a slug! did not touch the flowers just munched the bottom of the spike :( so keep a eye out Robert
What soil mix are you using and what feeds?

Robert, I wish yours:

Tick, Tock, Tick!

Instead of Tick, slug!, Tick!

Fragrant that's awful!

I know you can wait all year for some orchids to flower and then a slug comes along and does that! its enough to put you a bad mood for the rest of the day :(

I've been through what you say, fragrant. I've had whole plants devoured, before I could say, slug. That's the risk we take growing plants.

On a lighter note, you can design a beer moat around your orchid ;-)

You guys are scaring me with all this slug talk!
I've got some orchids with buds and now I'm terrified! Laugh.

Brian, I use the gritty mix for the plumies and have the all purpose 15-5-9 Dynamite slow release fertilizer in the potting medium and use Dyna-Gro Foliage Pro every couple of weeks (the same feed I use on all my plants except for the orchids). :)

-Robert

I slug hunt at night and see them on my trees.. I take those little buggers and throw them Into my pond with my frogs. Lol.. I guess my frogs really love me! ;-)

I also use foliage Pro 9-3-6. Works great and I'm a fan of Gritty mix and 5-1-1

Hi Robert !!

Hi true blue!! Fragrant!! Aloha!!!!

I can't wait Robert It driving me crazy. Love this one. My friend in Cali had his blooming while I was there and it was heavenly... Ahhhhh!

Take care!!

Laura

Congrats Robert! I keep looking at mine and still, no inflo :( I just got mine this spring from Florida Colors. I potted it in one of those coco lined wire baskets. I do like the way it drains. I just wonder how long the liner will last. Well I guess there is only one way to find out! Looks like stenopetala inflos grow a lot faster than most plumeria inflos!

I cannot wait for an update on this, and I also want to hear your opinion on the scent. I toured Florida Colors in July. I think I hit it just right. Most of there trees were loaded with inflos and flowers so I got to smell tons of blooms and this one left a lasting impression for sure! In fact, I all ready decided it won't go dormant this winter. I am going to keep it in front of a window and hope it rewards me with an inflo!

Andrew

It's getting to the point where I want to strangle it and yell 'Come on already! ' ;)

-Robert

This post was edited by robert1971 on Thu, Sep 11, 14 at 13:43

Ah, Robert, what extremes do plants go to teach us patience :-)

I know, I know...and our technologies just make it worse since we're so used to getting everything now, now, now! :)

Hopefully I won't have to wait much longer to finally sniff this beauty.

-Robert

Hey Robert. That is one heck of a nice inflo! Looks like your going to have a bunch of flowers :)

I checked mine again and still no inflo. I am starting to regret not buying a larger tree when I was at Florida Colors a few years ago.

Do you know Hetty? She lives in Florida. She showed me a picture of her 2 stenopetala that she has growing in one of those coco lined wire baskets. Luc planted it and gave it to her as a gift. The trees were still small when the pic was taken but both trees were blooming! She told me that she was going to have to separate the trees because they were getting to big.

Congrats on your inflo. I can't wait to see it bloom!

Andrew

Sigh. It teases me daily. ;)

-Robert

Ignore it ;-)

Ha! You know I check it every time I'm outside. Laugh.

As long as you don't have a motion detector camera, you're fine, Laugh.

I'm thinking surely by tomorrow I'll have at least one bloom! :)

-Robert

Ugh Robert! I know that feeling! I just went through that with my Psycho plumeria. It produced late inflos for me again, and today the mature inflo's first bud opened. I need to post a pic when the inflo has more open blooms. So far, I am seeing the largest flowers I have seen so far. I truly love this plumeria. I received it as a gift along with around 10 or 15 other cuttings. I originally had 3 Psycho but I lost one. These trees are very special to me and I have to say, Psycho is one of my favorites because of the fragrance. To me is smells like roses which is strange because its other name is Gardena.

Today I also checked on stenopetala, and I don't want to get my hopes up just yet but I think I may have spotted a tiny inflo just starting. Summer is almost over here in western NY, but I will definitely be giving this plumeria a spot under my 600 watt HPS light.

I also am happy to report that I know have at least 8 or 9 green buds on my GDTS jasmine that I got from the grower you recommended! Boy that is a slow growing vine! Well, at least above ground it is! I noticed that it is pretty well rooted all ready. I gently pulled on the base of the vine, and it didn't move at all. After only one month of having it in it's new pot, I think I will have to move it up one size again. I deliberately potted it in a small pot because I didn't want to have any root issues and I am so glad I did! Thanks again for the heads up on the grower! Now I just hope I can see blooms soon!

Congrats on your stenopetala! Soon you will get to see why I love it so much!!!

Andrew

Thanks, Andrew and congrats on your plumie blooms and your jasmine doing well! :)

So what's the first thing I do this morning?
Check on its progress, of course!
It's finally starting to open and has a light scent so far.
I'll keep everyone updated!

-Robert

Yea. I'm watching too! ❤️❤️❤️

Laura

I am keep a close eye on this thread no sign at all of my stenopetala flowering :( but many congrats to you Robert i hope it is as good as people say it is :)

This morning I went to check on stenopetala. Yesterday I was looking at it after the sun went down, so it was challenging for me to see the growth.

Today when I checked it, I noticed a triangular growth in the center. It looks completely different than the normal premature leaves, so I am keeping my fingers crossed it will produce an inflo.

Temps this week are supposed to be in the low to mid 70's so I am hopeful that I can keep my stenopetala, and other tropicals out for at least another week.

Thanks for the update Robert. I am excited for you....keep the pictures coming!

Andrew

Thanks, everyone!
I've got two open blooms so far. Still a light scent. Maybe the scent is stronger at night or the next day?

Andrew, I hope it is an inflo! :)

-Robert

Lovely flowers Robert, congrats!

Keep us posted on the fragrance report :-)

Thanks!
To be honest so far I'm not wowed by the light scent that reminds me of Tabernaemontana and Trachelospermum.
I'd rather sniff the Brunfelsia. :)

-Robert

Hey Robert. I was wondering how stenopetala is doing. Have you noticed more fragrance? I have to say I am pretty surprised you don't care for it as much as you do. I am thinking higher heat and humidity play into it also. When I first encountered it, I was at Florida Colors, and the tree/vine was loaded with tons of blooms. Maybe that is why I thought it would be stronger?

Andrew

Hey Robert. Guess what! I went outside tonight and grabbed my stenopetala. It was all ready dark, so I brought it indoors so I could check it out under better light..and there it was! My first inflo!!!!

We have not had rain here in the past 3-4 days so I mixed up some bloom booster in a gal of rain water and drenched it. I cannot wait to smell these flowers. I am guessing even with it growing under my 600 watt HPS light for 12-14 hours a day, it will still probably be the end of October maybe even the beginning of November before I can see and smell the flowers. With that being said, I'm hoping to see if there is a bigger difference with more intense light. I may even decide to run the humidifier to see if that makes a difference or not. My biggest challenge with growing my plumeria over the winter, instead of allowing them to to dormant, is SPIDER MITES!!!! Only my citrus and plumies ever seem to be the problem but I have F.E. and I am going to start spraying them down this weekend. Also, I believe stenopetala is evergreen and with it being such a thin vine, I wouldn't want to let it go dormant in fear that it would desiccate and die. I'm seriously considering calling Carol at Florida Colors, and buying a second stenopetala. I have a credit that I need to use and I have to say I love growing it in a hanging basket. For me, I don't have many hanging baskets to over winter so space won't be an issue for me.

Andrew

Hi Andrew!

Congrats on your inflo! I do hope it blooms for you and you have better luck with its scent than I have.
Don't get me wrong. The scent is nice but pales in comparison next to a sambac jasmine, brunfelsia, tuberose, white butterfly ginger, brugmansia, etc.
Who knows. I sniffed it this morning right after a rain storm and it was 78 outside but still didn't smell strongly.
Maybe it needs to be larger or maybe it's missing some crucial mineral to make it smell stronger or maybe it's just my nose! :)

Please keep us posted on the progress of yours and of course we'd love a scent report!

-Robert

This post was edited by robert1971 on Thu, Oct 2, 14 at 9:48

Have you tried smelling it at night Robert? Plumeria ×stenopetala (Apocynaceae) are most fragrant at night to attract hawkmoths which pollinate the flowers

Also just read " A most beautiful and unusual frangipani shrub. Thin branches in strongly weeping habit and spider like flowers smelling of Carnations. This is the true species - very rare!

Not to be confused with the totally different and extremely inferior P. stenopatala / P. Steno Patala which is being sold in Thailand and Australia as a deliberately misnamed plant to cause confusion and sell inferior common plants. Smells strongly of Carnations."

Yup! Smelled it day and night, Brian. I've been around the block a few times. ;)

Who knows. Maybe I've got the wrong species or maybe the particular specimen I have is just not that strongly scented.

If anybody knows a source for a strongly scented one maybe I'll try again someday! :)

-Robert

Found an old thread from last year where a person got the same plant from Florida Colors and it smells strongly for them and even wafts!
Maybe it's my nose after all. :)

-Robert

Here is a link that might be useful: Old thread

Robert, I've never grown Plumerias. But in my experience the first flush of most plants, (i.e. young plants) is normally not what it should be. Flowers can be lopsided, gawky, scentless, you name it...

So yours if it is the right one, might surprise you in another year, if you have the space for it....

I am very pleased to report that I can confirm that I do indeed have my first ever inflo on my stenopetala!!! I am totally stoked! Now here comes the hard part. The waiting game! One month to go before I can smell these awesome flowers!

Robert, you said you bought your tree from Florida Colors. With that being said, I can confidently say that these are the real deal. They do sell hybrids of stenopetala that actually grow in tree form, but I don't think you got one of those by mistake.

I do think that other factors can effect the fragrance of the flower. On the Plumeria Forum, we discuss how seedling trees can take several bloom cycles before you get the final product. I'm not sure if that would apply to scent though.

I will give you a scent report in another month when my tree blooms. Maybe I will get lucky and I can get the inflo to mature faster under my light!

I really feel bad that your not getting a better scent from your stenopetala. I know scents are subjective Robert, but I almost feel like a fraud now, especially after all my talk about how amazingly fragrant stenopetala is!

Not to change the subject, but after realizing that I really did have an inflo on my stenopetala, I thought maybe my luck would continue.....and it did! When I bought my stenopetala, I also bought 2 Raspberry Sundae trees. I had bought one two years ago, and it never rooted. These I got grafted from Florida Colors. One tree has 2 tips, and the other is a single tipped tree. Well I found an inflo on my single tipped tree! I am so thrilled! I love all the amazing pics of R.S. and now I am going to get to see it for myself!
I don't think I have ever ordered a plumeria tree and had it from an inflo and bloom within the first year I got it!!!

Andrew

Andrew, I'm not implying you're a fraud whatsoever!
SimiDude also states how strongly scented this one is so who knows?
My partner can hardly smell it though.
It does have a scent to my nose and maybe I'm just too accustomed to powerfully scented blooms to appreciate P.stenopetala ? ;)
I do love it's spidery shape though.

-Robert

I feel that plumeria needs the right environment to bring out its scent. That's why even the most scented plumeria can still smell blah. I have given up on them, for now, because of the little scent i get from them.

Hi Robert. Hope you, and everyone here had a wonderful Christmas and New Years!

So after what seemed FOREVER, my first stenopetala flower bud opened! I honestly am very pleased with its fragrance! The scent is strong..reminds me of a cross between Jasmine and gardenia, though I have never claimed to be an expert at describing any flower's fragrance!

I noticed yesterday that the fragrance was more muted than today. It did open after my light was off, and now I can smell it about a foot away from the flower. When it is in front of my fan, it wafts nicely.

I have heard before that the first time a plumeria blooms, it isn't always as fragrant as it is in the following years. I am looking forward to how it will smell once I have a few more buds open. I can't imagine how it will smell once I have more inflos!

Andrew

That's great, Andrew!
I'm happy yours smells strongly. Who knows, maybe it's just my nose can't detect that particular odor very well where as yours can. :)

Please keep us posted on your thoughts on this plant and we'd love pics! ;)

-Robert

I did post pics to a FB Plumeria page so I have to look for it and see if I can do it here. Sadly the inflo aborted, but I have what looks like 3 new tips growing! My 'Divine' on the other hand is just pumping out the flower buds. It dropped it's last open flower but I know it won't be long for more flowers to arrive, and I do like it's scent! Robert, do you have 'Psycho'? That is also blooming still and smells great!

Andrew

Robert i will finally be able to see or should that be smell for myself this year as i not only have one flower spike but three! on my plumeria-stenopetala

Awesome! Congrats. I know you've waited a long time to sniff this one.

Hope you like the scent! :)

Very cool! Mine got a spike like that but it fell off for some reason. Seemed to be getting some sort of fungal rot :(