The Lowe's store in Melbourne was carrying JJ Divine for a decent price but I had to take it home, and repot because the store soaks all the plants every day. It's probably worth the trip but be careful!

Thanks plumygirl. So I should check for softness of the trunk? Or what other signs that they are not ok with too much moisture?

No problem...I would check for any softness anywhere, any slight discoloration on the trunk or lateral limbs. It looks like you only have one tiny brown root so if you cut it back to check for any creeping rot inside the core you might have a better chance at re-rooting if you don't find any additional problems. Good Luck!!

Uuhh... I can't cut anything in the store though, and I also can't see the roots either. So I'd just have to stick :) to the checking of the trunk and branches if it has any.

i picked up a JJ's thumbalina from a lowes in Tampa last year when i was there for vacation. The only indication that it was a Jungle Jacks plant was the tag had "Thumbalina" on it and a few others friends from florida had confirmed that they were JJ's

I agree with plumygirl. Lowes doesnt do a good job taking care of their stock but that to be expected I guess.

Dont be shy to tug on the plant to check roots. I have no problem doing that. I ran across some JJ plants here in Tulsa that barely had any roots at all.

mike

I haven't purchased any plumeria at Lowe's, but i have purchased other plants there. I am 99.9% sure they have a 1 year return policy (even if the plant is dead) as long as you have the original container and receipt.

If there is a plant you think looks good this gives you some time if any issues arise.

Also, in terms of in-store visits, at least in FL, I typically see plumeria in the stores closer to summer. Thus you may want to call ahead on their availability. I have perceived it to be very seasonal.

Rebecca

I think I'll better check first if they carry plumerias this time of the year. I was thinking that being a mild winter like usually in Socal (zone 10a) they might have them already, but I'll check with the store first. Thanks for the heads up Rebecca.
Oh, lucky you, Mark! I'd wish I went just to take a glance and ended up with something so beautiful as you did.

Becks is right, Lowes has a policy that if your plant dies in so many months that they will replace it. So make sure you keep your receipt for purchase proof just in case. ;)

Yeah, this policy might just make my decision easier.

Thank you all for responding me!

SagoLover, I too have 3 JJ plants that came from Lowes last year. They don't have them here in VA. but a friend bought them for me in FL. She took care of them until Nov. when we made a trip down. I believe they got them in the stores around the end of May or early June. Search this forum for Lowes and I'm sure you will find the posts for last year when they made it into the stores in more than one state. Peg

I can't wait to see how theirs are, who knows, maybe I'll get lucky with a Jungle Jack's one too. :)

Hi Sago,

Confession: I live in Broward and annually "stalk" my local Lowe's for the new JJ plants--I consider it a sport ;-)

Just a heads up, though, that if this year is like the last few years, Lowe's WILL have JJ plants, but not now. Like Peg said, they will arrive around June 1. So relax...for now...

Greg

Oh, so that's something usual for Lowe's to bring Jungle Jack's plumerias! Good to know. But do they label them as such or how do you know? I'm not savvy in this field yet. All I've learned is only form the websites I've searched online.
And also, why don't they bring them until June? I've called "my" Lowe's here and they said they could have plumerias as soon as the end of March. I don't know if this is true, maybe the guy didn't know for sure, I have no idea.

I can't answer why--all I can tell you is that they have shown up at about the same time each of the past three years, around Memorial Day.

I have known some Lowe's to get plumerias from other vendors earlier in the season. The ones that will be JJ will say so and should have a tag that identifies them as being from "Better Gro", which is a Florida company that must buy from John in bulk.

Happy waiting! Will be here before we know it.

Greg

Not that long til Memorial Day. I can wait. Only if I won't find something delicious (kidding) earlier, at a spring fair we usually go to each year. This one:
http://www.csupomona.edu/~farmstore/tractor-car-show.shtml

I've always seen big plumerias there but they are not really cheap. But they are big. Anyway, I'll wait and see.

Thanks Greg! Happy waiting to you too. :)

Mima

Here in SoCal Lowe's usually has CStars plumies. Home Depot gets JJ plants sometimes. I got one there at the Monrovia store last year for about $25. They will have the Jungle Jack's tag on them. They usually aren't a named variety, just Premium White, Premium Yellow, and Premium Rainbow. The one I got was a 4 tip Rainbow.

If you don't have any luck with Lowe's, I have a bunch of JJ Divine with tips that have come out of hibernation.

I see, so Home Depot is the one bringing the JJs here. I can stalk them both LOL.
Plumygirl, thanks for the offer. I will wait for them to come here for the moment.

DelWH, last year's plumeria found at Home Depot for $25, how big was it? A little cutting in a pot? How tall, if you can remember?

"Stalking the plumeria" LOL I like that!

Plumygirl: like most things in life that are funny, it's funny 'cause it's true. LOL

Mima: just to be clear, here in FL, I've only ever seen JJ plants at Lowe's, and only with the tag "Better Gro,"--never at Home Depot. God knows I can't drive by one of either without stopping in to nose about the garden area for a few .

The plumeria you'll see at Home Depot (in FL, at least--jealous of you CA peeps being able to score JJ plants at the Deep) often come from Costa Farms, sometimes from other places. I've bought a few--they have all been superior (as in, really nice flowers, nice scent) noIDs, but noIDs all the same. Usually sprawly growers, those, as well. I've kept one, but ended up giving the others away.

Just fyi...

Greg

I got Thumbelina and Divine at Lowes. they had a little white tag that said their name on them. Both were 4 tip. It was toward summer though

As SFLGPlume said, I will stalk Lowe's for plumies, but Home Depot too since DelWH said you can find JJs here in Socal at Home Depot. Only the waiting is too hard to bear... too long...
SFLGPlume and Minderella, how big were your plumerias when you've bought them at Lowe's?
Also, is it better to start off with let's say 2 or 3, maybe not all of them make it, or just stick to one at first and later see if we add to that one?

Thank you all for the input.

Mima:

My bad! Sometimes I don't read very carefully...I thought you lived in Florida. I get it now. Sorry for dragging this out LOL

G

Don't worry. I love to find out so many new things about plumerias. :)

The one I got was a 5 tip one about 15 inches tall for the longest tip. It was on a table out front with a sign saying "Special Buy". They were in orange 2 gallon squat pots. They had maybe 25 or 30 of them at that point. I don't think it is a regular thing, it may have been a bunch that Jon wanted to unload. HD most often has just regular variety plumies from some unnamed source.
So it never hurts to check every now and then.

I too scored a good one at Lowes back in June of '09 in Ventura, Ca. Did not notice back then if it was a JJ. But, it was a Guillot Sunset and 6 tips and only 21.99 or something like that. roxanne

The Home Depot stores in Riverside and Eastvale had JJ plumeria last summer. One gallon ones were around $25 and they had some nice tall 5 gallons for $50. They were only identified by color, not by variety. They weren't outside in one of the stores but inside where they keep the house plants. The well intentioned staff were doing their best to kill them off by keeping them completely saturated with water so try to get them as soon as they come in.

We went to the Cal Poly Pomona Farm Store yesterday but all the plumeria are still in the green house. Good idea because the two huge ones they left outside suffered a lot of freeze damage and are looking rather pathetic.

Aha, so I should start going here and there to see if they have some specials already. And to check on the specials if I find any. I'd hate to get a damaged one (either by freezing or by over-watering) and then having no idea how to save her... A plumeria is feminine, isn't she? ;)

That's a good question, since each flower has both male and female parts. 8*)

Haha, no, I meant to ask how are you referring to it? As a she or a he? For me it sounds like a she that's why I said to save her. ;)

Haha, no, I meant to ask how are you referring to it? As a she or a he? For me it sounds like a she that's why I said to save her. ;)

Sorry, I don't know how it posted twice.

Mima, is there any way you could go straight to JJ's in Vista or Oceanside since you're in SoCal? They have a huge stock at the Vista location.

Very tempting, Jandey! Veeery... Unfortunately we live almost 90 miles away and I don't see any time soon a possibility to travel there. Almost every weekend we already have scheduled different events/activities.

neither Lowes or Home Depot gets plumeria on a regular basis here. Lowes had pudica last year but that was it. On the other hand there are a lot of growers in my area so lots of places to hunt them down.
Good luck everyone on the neverending hunt.
Tally HO!

What area do you live in, beachplant?

Can somebody who lives in LA area write here an update if and where they've found healthy plumerias in the area, either at Lowe's or HD? I'm close to LA Co, San Bernardino Co actually, but right at the border. Even OC would work ifit's not too far and it's worth driving there for beautiful, healthy plumies.

Thank you all!

This post was edited by SagoLover on Thu, Mar 14, 13 at 18:58

I hate to get off-topic for so long, so I'll write here the rest.

I would get some plumeria cuttings from Plumeria Patch, it's just for the start I'm afraid if I get cuttings I won't know what to do to them and I'd kill them. I prefer to start with 1-2 small rooted ones and then go from there.

HI Sago,

It would be worth the trip to visit JJ's in OC. If i had a place like that locally, i would be heading there at least monthly..

Plan a trip and you will be so pleased. Then the addition will really begin. ;-)

Michelle will help you with any questions on rooting and we all are here for you if you need help.

Just let us know if you need any advise!! We all have been there.. so don't think twice about asking questions!!

Mahalo!

Laura

Hi Sago,

Two rooted ones are no problem. Any special colours? Tips or singles?

mea

Oh Mea! Thank you! How are you going to ship them? What if the trip is going to be too much of a stress for them?

Hi Sago,

Let me look for two rooted small plumeria w/tips somewhere in the neighborhood of $12-$14 if that works for you. Shipping would be through the USPS Priority Mail w/tracking. I pack and pad everything pretty well and will probably bag the roots so the trip should not be stressful. I would not know the shipping cost until I take the box to the P.O. all packed and ready to go, then I can give you the total cost. Just contact me through e-mail and we can go over the details.

Thanks Sago!

Thank you for your message Mea! This is so kind of you.
I am still not decided on which plumerias to get in the beginning. I'd limit myself to only 2 for now. I'd want a Celadine and another one, but I am still doing research about their fragrance and easiness to be grown. I think I'd have to search for a few plumies to see them in person first and I have not much time on my hands to go here and there... Arghhh... I want to start with them but I don't have time to go see more plumerias. Difficult choice.

Any advice is highly appreciated.

I can give you a Celadine cutting for -0- or, start a cutting for you, say $5.00 and then pick out a small rooted one that hopefully I have a photo of and keeping the second to the same price range I quoted earlier. Just if you would, send me a reminder next week as I still have about about 4 big tubs of cuttings to start and finish work on the master list. Shipping to be determined.

Will that work for you?

Mea, you're too kind! I will email you.