Mark,
It is really hard to say. Some of my new cuttings grew 12-14" while others grew much less than that. It depends on the cultivar.

Make sure the soil you plant them in drains well. If it retains too much water, you could get root rot.

Mike

It would be easier if you planted them in pots and then sunk the pots in the ground... and like Mike said, size varies... what colors and varieties did you get??
Brittany

Mike again is right on. In warm, humid weather the plumeria might grow from 14-18 inches per year, but most people can count on 12-14. As plants get older, the rate often slows down but is converted into width. I find my reds and pinks are lanky and grow taller (Cerise for example) but some are slow. I have three hedges in the ground that were all planted at the same time and the plants very from 4 to 7 feet in four and one half years. I find that putting large stakes next to my plants and using plastic 3/4" plant tie I pull my limbs upward to shape the plant. After several years the lower ties are cut and the shape is held. I trim any arms going outward or downward. After about 7 foot I will let them move outward. Should look good in 3 years.

tdogdad,

The way you tie up the limbs is very interesting. Would you have any pictures you could post? I would love to see it!

Carol

Carol. Since my plants are still without leaves, the ties are very easy to see. Once the leaves come, they are hidden. I will take a picture of one of my hedges so you can see several plants. Remember, it is not pretty in the winter, but the summer is awesome. As branches get hardened and mature, I cut away the ties and move up the plant. I will get that picture as soon as I can. Also you can use this in medium pots to keep the plant from spreading out too much. This allows more plants to squeeze together without having to prune off branches as much.

Hope these pictures show what I am doing.{{gwi:1159188}}{{gwi:1159189}}

tdogdad,

Thanks for posting those pictures. Your setup is impressive. Definitely no wind damage there. Think I will do something similar.

~Tom

one thing I did not mention is that all those plumies in the pictures are in the ground year around. The pots you see are tuberroses which I place between the Plumerias and which add a fantastic exotic smell when they send up their long stems with small white flowers upon (in the summer). today i cut about half of the green ties in the single picture as the stems were strong enough to support the shape I wanted. The older a section of an arm, the less likely it will move much. Shaping needs to progress in the last and present years growth. After that, the shape is usually set, so the ties can be removed. I feel this type of shaping limits width and encourages height. For my hedge, when the growth extends above about 6.5 feet, I intend to let the plants widen and bush out overhead. You can give calcium nitrate or old milk to beef up the width of stems and encourage hardening. Hope this helps.

tdogdad,

Could you elaborate on the calcium nitrate/old milk? How much and how often?

Calcium helps widen and harden the plants. I just sprinkle about one or two tablespoons of calcium nitrate around a mature plant usually once in May and once in September. A Vietnamese friend just pours a half gallon of old milk every couple of months in place of watering and he has some beefy plants. I also talk about feeding on my reply to "newbie.... " Apr 6.