Good Nurseries?

Hi all,

I am in the market for my first plumeria. My mother grew them for many years until she moved to a retirement home. I'm now in a place that LOVES plants--a high rise condo with tons of sun and a great balcony for summer. I'm looking at the Dwarf Singapore Pink because I like the size and the fact that it's an evergreen. I have figs, orchids, succulents, herbs, and citruses that are happy year around inside and don't have enough space to hide the dormant trees (they aren't so pretty sans leaves).

Sooo...any suggestions on a good nursery where I can get a rooted cutting? Also, I'm very open to other suggestions on an evergreen plumeria or if I were to keep a deciduous plumeria would it not lose leaves if the temps never went below 70 degrees? I haven't turned my heat on all winter and it's been nice and toasty.

Thanks!
Liz

Liz, sounds like you've zeroed in on the perfect variety for your situation. People who have it rave about DSP, especially the pretty foliage and the fact that it will tolerate being indoors longer than most other plumies.

I personally love Florida Colors and Brad's Buds and Blooms for my online purchases. I've bought many things from each and never been disappointed. They both have DSP, though FC has it grafted and BBB has it rooted. I'm not sure which is better; many people swear by both grafted and own-root plants.

Good luck and let us know how you get on.

Jen

I buy all my grafted plants from Florida Colors, their prices are reasonable. You can't beat Carol, the time she spends on the phone with me, helping me select plants. I love the plants on Brads buds and blooms, I have emailed him questions many times, and tried to call.I have never received a reply to my emails, or have been able to get anyone to answer the phone. I think you just order your plants, and they are mailed. I want to ask questions regarding plants before I buy them. I want plants that are great bloomers, and do well in my zone. I do like Brads selection, but without being able to ask about the performance of the plant, I have not ordered from him. Barra

Thank you! I will order from Florida Colors this evening. The prices ARE good. I spoke to my mom as well and she said her plumies weren't dwarfs and she would have had to get rid of them at that time even if she hadn't moved b/c they were outgrowing her space. My place already looks like a greenhouse so I have to be careful about what I add.

Lizza, just off the top of my head from reading on the forums, some of the favorite great bloomers on low growing plumeira are Divine, Musk Rainbow, Penand Peach, and Susan St Amour. I do not remember the names of any dwarf plumeria that folks liked. I have two low growers Hurricane and Madi Gras, but they are both very small, and have not bloomed. I am sure they must be good bloomers, or I would not have bought them, but did not see their names mentioned as favorites when I read the plumeira forum. Barbra

I have to agree with Jen, Florida Colors and Brad's Buds and Blooms are to really good sources for plumeria.
Carolyn

Hi Barbra,

I am sorry to hear that you were unable to reach us. In all honesty, I am scratching my head on this one, as we did not ever receive an email or phone message from you. I can assure you that we are quite diligent in responding to customer inquiries, as I'm sure that many of our repeat customers would attest.

If you'd like to contact us, please feel free to do so at any time, and I promise you that we will get back to you within 24 hours.
You can reach us by phone at: 407-349-9510 (please leave a voice message if we're not available at that moment), or via email at: bradsbudsnblooms@earthlink.net.

By the way, if you're into seeds, we have quite an eclectic selection currently available.

Kind regards,
Brian West

Here is a link that might be useful: Brad's Buds & Blooms

Hi, Brian I sent emails thru your website in January. I was asking about shipping cost and included my zip code 78240. I was not able to find anything about shipping cost on your website. When I did not receive a reply, I tried calling during the weekdays, but no one would ever answer the phone, I did not leave a message. I finally gave up. I loved your selection of plants, some plants are cheaper than the grafted plants at FC. I was afraid to order from you without knowing the charge for freight. Carol at FC charges actural shipping cost. Please post on this thread what your shipping charges are. I would love to know, so I could order from you, I love your selection of plants and their cost, and the fact that I would not have to order grafted plants. Barbra

Hi Barbra, If you set up an account (don't know if it works without an account)with Brad's Buds & Blooms, put what you want into your cart and then hit the checkout button it will give you shipping options and charges. I've only ordered seeds so far but will probably order plants this spring. It also saves what you put into your cart so when you come back it is still there. Hope that helps. Peg

Thanks Peg, I did order the plants to see if I could find out what the charges were, I selected order. The next page asked me to verify my order, I got scared and instead of selecting verify the order, I just canceled it. I felt if I selected verify order, and if the charges were too high, it would be to late to cancel. I tried to call quite a few times, before I gave up. I decided to place the order thru Florida Colors, since she charges actual freight. I would love to know what Brads charges are based on, I would love to order from him in April. Carol spent quite alot of time with me on the phone, explaining what plants were her best bloomers. I was going to get Black Tiger, she said the bloom is beautiful, but it did not have large inflos, so I went with Leona Hoke, with did have large inflos. She will mail out my 8 plants on March 1st. Barbra

Hi Everyone,

I want to say a special "hello" to Liz from Northern Va!!!

Love to see others from the East (esp from VA) with the Plumeria addiction!!!

Welcome!!!

Barbra,

You are making me want to go and look for some trees that i really, really want. LOL... I do have the Black Tiger and i will say that it is a beauty!! I need to place an order with Carol as well. I haven't ordered from BBB but will give them a try... Jen has had good success with them so im going to place an order soon. I sure hope that they get back to you. It was very nice of Brian to post a response to you. Have you heard anything else from them?

I also like Maui Plumeria Gardens. Check them out...

Take care,

Laura

Laura, I just got an email from Brad, I read it this morning. He was so helpful, I will definitely order plants from him for my birthday in April. I think I will look right now, to see what I want. Barbra

Barbra, did you get my email yesterday from the forum? Wondering if your email had any lingering problems from the hijacked account last fall.

I've only ever emailed BBB and they've always responded promptly and given me detailed replies to my questions. If you like speaking with someone instead then FCN is definitely the company to use.

Nice to hear about Leona's inflos--mine is still completely leafless (she's slept all winter for me) but the tips are getting shiny and starting to swell so my fingers are crossed for an inflo developing!

Laura, I think I'm going to use Dave's nickname and just call you "Coconut" from now on! ;P

Jen, I just found your email in the recently deleted box. My husband had deleted it, I just sent you a reply. Black tiger does better in cooler weater states. Barbra

Hi Everyone-

I don't spend a lot of time on forums these days with working full-time-- and-- trying to run my little nursery. But, I try to chime in when needed.

Barbra, shipping costs are estimated by weight of each plant and when you finish selecting your plant(s) and then hit "Checkout" (lower right hand corner), the next screen that comes up will show you exactly what your shipping charges are based on the two options available. BTW we only ship plants via USPS Priority Mail, unless a customer wishes to pay the high shipping of Express mail. Priority is best because plants typically arrive in 3-4 days at their destinations (provided no bungling with the PO). So, you will get a total cost for plants and shipping (or sales tax if you are in Florida)on that page for all plants with shipping before you go to the next page--- which contains payment information. The site adds everything together automatically.

As for phone, we try to get what we can, but due to our working (I am also a full-time Teacher), it is easier to get us through email for basic questions. We are both (Brian and I) able to handle most questions this way and usually during periods of the day when we are able to get to them--breaks, lunches etc. We are around on weekends but mostly outside taking care of the property and plants, especially now that the season looks like (fingers crossed) Spring is here. If a customer needs to talk to us and the information we supplied on the site for each of our plants listed (size, graft or not grafted--flower size and fragrance--etc., or, the buttons about plumeria care et al on the lower left hand side) does not suffice and people have a lot of questions, we can return calls, but the customer needs to leave a message so we know what it is about. Anyway, please know that we try to get to our custmers as best we can and we do very much appreciate their business.

Re: Black Tiger

I have to disagree about Black Tiger having small inflorescences. Mine has always bloomed with very nice sized ones and the flowers are also nice sized--3.5". The fragrance is rather mild in my opinion, but I am willing to forgive this as the deep red with black veination is gorgeous. The inflos also are more pendulant as more flowers open and look lovely hanging downward. My friend and business partner Kukiat in Thiland has a lovely picture of Black Tiger blooming in Thailand. As I get my cuttings from him directly (Curerntly sold out until May however), I like to use his picture since reds are difficult to photograph and he did a wonderful job of it. One problem I can see this plant would have in the hot weather is not the weather itself, but, in S. Florida rust mites have become pesty in some places in recent years. They also tend to LOVE reddish colored flowers and those with reddish coloration in the leaves. I can name quite a few hybrids that this pertains to(JL Red Orange--a big favorite of the little nasties). As a result, the flower production is impacted because buds whither and fall off, some inflos remain stunted, or, fall off all together. Many inflos that survive- only a few mature to open. However, the little buggers are good for seed production, so whatever flowers one does get down there, the chances of a seed pod are quite good. I had a mild rust mit attack on mine a few years ago which resulted in poor flowering but a couple of nice pods. There are many commercial sprays for rust mites(miticides), however since the severe freezes we had a couple years in a row a while back, it seems the mites moved out and haven't been so much of an issue in the last year and I haven't needed to spray (heck I don't even remember the name of what I used though it's out in the shed somewhere).MY BT did nicely last year. Wish I could post photos, but as I haven't used Photobucket in several years, I really don't have time to fool with it. Remember, Thailand is extremely hot--much more so than Florida and it blooms well there,being a Thai native. Fortunately for them, it appears they don't have to worry about rust mites so far! ;-)

I asked if it was a good bloomer, and was told there were much better bloomers. I then looked it up on the internet. I went to Sacred Garden Frangipanis website I like all the inforamtion they give on each plant. Under Black Tiger they wrote Very Robust, best varity for cooler regions, so I order something else. I am glad it is doing so well for you, but I don't think I will be ordering it. If you want a grafted Black Tiger, you can buy one on ebay BIN for $12. Barbra

Well--I totally understand as we all have our preferences in plumerias. But one thing I do want to point out in the interest of fairness to this cultivar is that Sacred Gardens Frangipani is in perhaps the hottest part of Australia. It can easily get to 120 degrees there in summer quite often. When he suggests it for a cooler climate, even South Florida fits the bill . LOL Northern Austraia is where Steven prowse is located (I used to sell plants for him in the USA until Customs became a real expensive pain in the butt by systematically rejecting his cuttings for "phomopsis" a harmless leaf spot in this case, and, I ultimately had to stop being Sacred Gardens USA Rep. due to these government induced and rather large $$ losses).Anyway, there are an amazing number of red-black plumerias coming out these days--of all manner of sizes and shapes. I would like to see one with a really intense citrus-floral fragrance developed.

Best,
Brad

Brad, I live in South Texas on the coast, we have over 100 degree for months at a time, with no rain for months at a time. That is why I asked what would bloom best for me. I had a list of plants I wanted and only the one I was told there were better bloomers available. I was told Makah Sunn, Lani, Leona Hoke, Honey Queen, Salmon Jack, and Cappalaha Pink, would all bloom well for me, as well as Jeanne Moragne, Madi Gras, and Kimi. I have been to Vero Beach, Key West, and West Palm Beach Florida several times over the last few years, in fact I am going back this summer. I agree with you, it is much cooler there. Everytime we go we stay for 5 days, and I think it rains at least once during our visit. I think it rains every morning in Key West. I really wanted Black Tiger after I saw a picture of it was posted on the fourm. The last time I went to Florida, we stopped in Hempstead, so I got to meet Carol and Luc. I think we are going back this summer, if we are not too far away, I will stop by Brads Buds and Blooms, so I can oder more plants. Barbra

Hi back at you Laura! My cousin is down in Yorktown so I know your area...warmer!

Barbara, I had a follow up question for you re: dwarfs v. low growers. What's the difference? I've seen beautiful pictures (I think they may have been yours) on here of these almost bonsai looking plumies. Are they low growers? If so, I may have to try one. I'm putting a bunch of my plants (aloe and jade trees--great for beginners but they multiply too easily for someone with a green-ish thumb) out in my brother's yard sale this Spring so will have some room for new favorites.

Hello Everyone,

Barbra,

You have me thinking about My Black Tiger...so i wanted to post a picture of mine from last summer.

Brad,

I do agree with you on this beauty! I do love the color and the fragrance. It is on the "must have list" if you ask me!!! : )

Take care,

Laura

Jen,

LOL.. I wanted to tell you that Dave let my (AKA Coconut) out of the bag...that is my name when i sign into the addiction Group for Plumeria... : )

Have a wonderful night everyone!!! : )

Laura

Laura it was your picture I saw on the forum, that made me want a Black Tiger, also Lani and Makaha Sunn. I actually ordered all three in January. I changed my mind after I read about it, and asked Carol about it. She said it was beautiful, but she had much better bloomers. I think Black Tiger is probably the prettiest red plumeria I have seen. I think in your area and cooler areas it would be a great plant and preform great. I checked the internet and in 2011 in San Antonio we had 57 consecutive days without rain, and 42 days with temps 100 degrees and above, I was not able to find this information for Rockport where all my plants are. Rockport is 177 miles South of San Antonio, where it is usually hotter, I think I made the right decision. I hope that someone in south texas who bought the plant in Corpus Christi or Brownsville would post how the plant has done for them. I would love to find out that it is a great bloomer, and has large inflos, I would buy it in a minute.

Lizzi, a dwaft plumeria grows from 2 ft to 4 ft tall, usally grown in pots, low grower would probably grow from 4 ft to 6 ft. I saw Mardi gras growing in a pot at Florida Colors it was about 5 ft tall. Most of her plumeria are large trees, she gave me a tour using a golf cart. She has acres of plumeria trees, it was something I will never forget. Barbra

Carol from Florida Colors emailed me Tuesday, that she mailed out all my plants Monday so I would have them by Thusday. I am so excited. we are leaving town Friday morning for spring break. I asked her to include a desert rose to my order, I lost my small one this witner. Something pretty, with large blooms that would do well in South Texas. She emailed me a picture of a triple bloom desert rose that she included in my order. She always sends me nice plants. Barbra

I just got my plants, they will be planted at the coast tomorrow. As usual great plants, I will definitely have bloms by this summer. Barbra

Quick update, I got my DSP VERY quickly after my order. I've had it for 2 weeks and it has doubled the leaves. Nice healthy plant. Thank you all for the Florida Colors recommendation!

Florida Colors has great prices and very nice, healthy plants, and they are nice to deal with. I've never heard anyone say anything but good things about them. I just wish they didn't graft them all. It's so easy to root most Plumeria cuttings in South Florida and I don't care for grafted Plumerias.

I only have two plumeria that are not grafted. I have to say, they are pretty good at grafting plants, you really have to look hard to see it on most of my plants. Last Friday, I planted all my 5 gallon plumeria plants into the ground. When we left yesterday, they were all starting to put out new leaves. I was told by a couple of men in the Corpus Christi Plumeria Society, when they set out their plants, they put cow manure in the pot. I was too afraid to do this on my named plants and only did it on the seedlings. I will let you know how it turns out. I am going back Saturday. Barbra

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