1. Embers / Toba's Fire
2. J.L. Haleaka
3. J.L. Don Ho
4. Kimo
5. Vera Cruz Rose
6. Plumeria Daeng Sayem / Siam Red
7. J.L. Makaha Sunn
8. Waimea
9. J.L. Crown Jewel

10. Nopakaw Thai Plumeria

Unfortunately for you it is often what comes out next season. It takes about 8-15 years for today's hot item to grow to produce many cuttings which brings the price down. The rare today becomes common in a decade. However, with advances in grafting some of your growers take a rare cutting and cut it into pieces that are grafted so in a few years they have many plants developing. Others like JJs plant hundreds of seedlings on farms in Thailand and then cull out the common for grafting and expand the good ones to corner the market for the short time they are hot items. New and more radical variations appear each year and call out to the addicts. The addiction is fueled by making a better model each year. Then you have a nice flower like India that grows on a very leggy plant so you get a 7 foot plant with few flowers. Also, a plant that looks striking in the east can be bland out west due to the dry and cooler heat. Now to answer. In the classics I like Daisy Wilcox as a pink white and my valentine as a white, wildfire and Jeannie Moragne as reds, Aztec gold, inca gold and U.of H gold, Charlotte Ebert, Kimi Moragne, Calif.Sally and Angus #3 as pinks, Heidi and Puu kahea yellows, and Lani, Gloria Schmidt and Cooktown Sunset as multi colors. But tomorrow there will be another I wish I had. And I still have about 50 plants that have not produced true flowers yet so I am still waiting on those. James has a more rare collection so what he likes will be different. Can you see why this is a hard question?

Well my motto is "Any rare plumie that is free is for me"..lol J/K.
The only Plumie I want and for the past couple of years been waiting for is JL Hawaiian Lighting. If some unique to die for rare plumie comes up Id be interested, but for now just the JL Tropical Lightening, not JL Tropical Storm..2 diff plumies..

OPPPS My bad!!! Thought this was the "Wish List Thread" LOL.

My Top Ten..

JL Metallica
California Sally From Bud.. : )
Sparky... " "
Daisy Wilcox
Lani
Elizabeth Thornton Lemon Drop
Leela
Cerise
J 105
Wildfire
Thai Elsie
Vera Cruz Rose
cheroke Geisha
Makaha Sunn
Jeannie Moragne

Oh,,, i thought you said Fifteen...lol hard to pick top ten...lol

Laura

1. Buddharaksa
2. Musk Rainbow
3. Aurora Borealis
4. JL Metallica
5. Fantasia
6. Red Dusk
7. Wild Fire
8. Samire
9. Golden Ray

10. JL Golden Pagoda

Wow thank you guys! Keep them coming!

Tropic - I got 3 out of the 10 on your list. I feel happy about that. :)

Tdogdad - I also love most of what you listed as well. Thank you for grouping them by color like that as well as pointing out that different plants do better in different zones. I didn't think about that at all.

Freak - ... Wishlist, Have list... it's all good. I will have to research you JL Hawaiian Lighting! How is your JL Metallica doing? Do you have any pics yet? That's the one I'm going for next.

Laura - I also have 4 out of the 15 on your list. But I'm planning to pick up a few others on your list as soon as I can find them... so we have similar taste. I actually turned down Cheroke Geisha for that NOID I posted. One sniff and I had to take the NOID home. In a way I'm glad b/c it turned out to be a BEAUTY. I guess I can always go back for the Cheroke Geisha next week. :)

Thank you!

NC,
Here are couple of pics. Got my JL Metallica in 2005, I think I was the 1st or 2nd person to get one. Took 2 yrs for it to bloom

First Inflo starting to bloom in 86 degree heat:

This ones from the first inflo during a heat wave got to about 90 and humid for couple of days

Blooming in Oct and cold temps so light:

Did you list your favorites or did you consider fragrance as the top qualifier? Inquiring minds want to know :) JJ lists J105 as a stronger fragrance than the folks on MPG's forum :) How has it been for you?

My top ten for Northern Virginia climaate LOL! I don't have a lot to choose from! These are nearly all I'm growing. All are in pots, of course.

1) Penang Peach
2) Kimo
3) Hilo Beauty
4) California Sally
5) Lani
6) Jeannie Moragne
7) Guillot's Sunset
8) Daisy Wilcox
9) Royal Hawaiian

10. Nebel's Rainbow

The plants I am going to list as favorites, I have seen in bloom at the Botantical Gardens in Corpus Christi, Tx. Puu Kahea, Jeannie Moragne, Kimi Moragne, Celadine, and Charlotte Ebert. My favorite that I have seen in Plumeria Society Members back yard, Pink Ruffels, and Metallica. In my yard Magnum Opus. These all have hugh blooms, beautiful colors, and fragance. I have seen some beautiful Thai varieties in bloom in Corpus, I do not remember the names, they were way out of my price range. Barbra

So few of mine have bloomed that I have little experience, but I do have favorites based on expectations vs. reality.

1. Penang Peach (for flower color & fragrance, foliage and growth habit; great all-around plant)
2. Lutica (for thick, long-lasting flowers and great fragrance, pretty foliage)
3. Lemon Drop (for prolific blooms and heavy branching, nice fragrance)
4. J105 (for gorgeous foliage and vigor; hasn't bloomed but did seal over and make five new branches)
5. Giant Aussie Orange (big colorful flowers)
6. My seedling "Blaze" (for intensely-colored red flowers and unusual obtusa-like foliage)
7. & 8. My Valentine and Dazzler (for their long-lasting pretty foliage and promise of big flowers)
9. & 10. Maverick and Makaha Sunn (for the promise of very fragrant flowers)

The jury's still out on a lot of them, and if some don't bloom for me next year, they're out.

The under-appreciated Veracruz Lutica, by far my favorite fragrance and longest-lasting flower:

She does open her blooms completely after a while:

Blaze, small but fiery:

Nice to look out in the morning and see a reliable bloomer:

Too many great ones to choose from, but Freak and Bill are right that climate and microclimate are very important in making sure you end up with plants that will live up to their promise in your area.

Freak - thank you for posting pics of your JL Metallica. What a BEAUTY! Very unique I might add. How is the fragrance on that one? It's nice to know it does well in our climate. So I will proceed with that one. :) Since you were the first few to get it... did you have to sell your first born to pay for it? LOL...

Rcantor - I use all 3 criteria to pick mine. For example... I passed on Puu Kehea. The flowers were absolutely gorgeous but the scent didn't scream "Take me home!". I also passed on Bali Whirl, because while the scent was very unique to me when bloomed it looked messy!! Now if I have to do it all over again I would not have bought TWO Celadine for $65 each for a 2 gal at that Spring Flower show back in April. While the flowers and scent are quite nice they are too common. No offense to anyone... but w/ limited space, I have to chose carefully. So chances are my two Celadine will be the first to go when I get to that point.

Dave in NOVA - I too have a few on your list as well as a few I have to get. I'm waiting for my Kimo to arrive. I hope I will like it.

Barbara - great list! I want Magnum Opus. How do you like it?

Jandey- Your flowers are beautiful!! I love the red so I will be in hunting for one soon. I don't have any red. I didn't think I liked yellow until I saw yours... thus the hunt for a Thorton Lemon Drop. Thank you for sharing. I love seeing the photos!

Ooops! I guess I read the directions wrong! I just listed my faves that I was growing. As for the ones I still want (not necessarily in order of priority!):

1) Magnum Opus
2) Charlotte Ebert
3) Thornton's Lemon Drop
4) Waimea
5) Vera Cruz Rose
6) Any nice fragrant variety that is a compact grower.

Thank you Dave, so nice to see I got all 4 on your list and going to get Magnum Opus and Vera Cruz Rose as soon as I can find them! People are snatching them up on Ebay like crazy!

Good point about finding compact grower! Again I didn't think about it.

Another point... if it takes 10 years to get HUGE then I can just donate, give away cuttings, etc... and make room for new cultivars. And at least I get to enjoy them for 10 years. Heck my shoes and handbags never lasted ten years... so you see I'll still come out ahead! LOL

See I was a little depressed thinking I couldn't buy anymore... but now I'm back in the game! That logic works well for me. :)

You can find Magnum and VCR at Brad's; no bidding. However, those two are big growers. Barbra raves about her MO, tho I think she has the luxury of being able to put it in the ground.

If Lutica bloomed as much as Lemon Drop, I'd choose it between the two as the flower itself is much superior. Maybe when my small Lutica catches up in size it'll be more prolific. It's a tough one to find info on as it's fairly scarce.

Hey NC,
I paid 580.00 for the cutting when I got it. Back in the day Jean Capini, Robert Truxel, Becky Sue Alexander and a handful more where high rollers on Ebay back in the day... Ahhhh the good old times:)
Again back then many cuttings especially first releases rare plumies fetched 500.00 plus per cutting. Bonnie Fox by T Nature also use to get a pretty penny in the 200 range.

Wow Freak that's CRAZY!! But I have paid $1,000 for a pair of red soles shoes so I understand the obsession. I'm giving up shoes/handbags for Plumies which are much cheaper but then I just get more of them. LOL

Jandey,

So the yellow flowers you posted above is actually Lutica and NOT Lemon Drop? Holycow! LOVE!! How is the fragrant on those beauties though? And where pray tell did you get yours?

Will a trip to Hawaii help me get some of these rarity or no? I can "convince" hubby we NEED a vacation! ;)

Dave, you get full marks for "following directions", even though late :)

Jen, your Blaze is spectacular! Any fragrance? When will it be fetching $100 on ebay?

Luticia is on my list. It's not easy to find and I can't buy any more until I stop traveling so I had to pass on the one that was on ebay.

Yes, NC, the top photo is Lutica, from bloomingplumerias, which I think is a fantastic yellow. The bottom yellow is Lemon Drop which is a great bloomer but the flowers don't last nearly as long or smell as good. Lutica has a creamy citrus or vanilla/lemon scent, while LD has a sharper and less obvious citrus scent, almost herbal.

Rcantor, bloomingplumerias on ebay has had a couple of Luticas--even one with inflo--recently that went for very little as so few people know about them. It is officially Veracruz Lutica, not to be confused with Leticia, which is a gorgeous but completely different flower.

Blaze is several years old but a slow grower. I doubt she'll be big enough to share cuttings from any time soon. The flowers have an herbal/spicy scent and just amazing metallic gold smudges, hard to capture in a photo.

Jen, I think you did a good job of capturing it. Beautiful !!!
My list of top 10 is anything that blooms ! So far that's 1 Peg

I want one that blooms right now for me. None are mine are going to bloom till probably nest year. I can only dream and admire everyone elses.

I got my magnum opus from Florida Colors in April 2010. Planted it and by Oct it was 5 ft tall, and about 4 inches thick at the base. I only fed with coffee grounds. It blooms non stop from April thru November. The smell is like roses, 4 inch blooms, The color is even more beautiful in the back of the bloom, it has a red rim around each of the large petals. Everyone that sees it falls in love. I am hoping that K comes by my place in Rockport if he goes to the Corpus Plumeria Sale. I hope his cutting has rooted by then. Barbra

Im a bit concerned about my investment in Jungle Jacks plants now. I see hardly none of his made anyone's lists. I know the Hawaiian varieties are pretty awesome and i think given the chance I would choose a lot of them over Jacks also.

Mike

Mike, most of my Plumies are JJ's and I love them!

My favorite are

J105
Scentsational
Rhonda
Vienna Rose
Tipsy
Christina
Inca Gold

My Thumbaline, Divine and CA Sunset have been blooming non stop since late April. So far I am very happy with every single plant I got from him.

Still looking for a red... and of course that elusive Viola G! :)

honeybunny, tell us more about Magnum Opus. You say it's a tall grower.. Is it a good brancher once it blooms? I don't mind an occasional tall grower as long as it puts out more than one or two branches after blooms!

Yes tell us more about Magnum Opus... since that's also on my list. But I'm limited in space! Thanks!

Minderella and Peg,

You LADIES have shown much grace and so much patience for these wonderful blooms as we all have, You hear Jen doown in TX and she is waiing patiently as well, Like i said in a nother post, patience does pay off. If you can nuture these plants and finally see them develpoe an inflo right before you very eyes and know that "You Are The One That DID THIS" Life is full of rewards...

WE all need patience when we grow any plant or tree and expecially growing Plumeria...

am i right guys and gals? SOme of you all remember what im talking about? im sure you all are out there...

Please share your stories of the new buds.. wait..didnt i stRT A THREAD LIKE THIA BEFORE? lol...

hAVE A GOOD NIGHT,

lAURA

My Magnum Opus is not a tall tree, I would consider it medium size. It is a fast growing tree. Both Magnum Opus and Gold Coast cotton candy have really grown fast. I had them both planted in the soil. I lost the GCCC to the freeze, I brought in the Magnum Opus, and wrapped GCCC, because I was tired, what a mistake. Now all my plumeria are in pots in the ground. MO has thick branches, much thicker than the other plants. When I ordered it I asked Carol what her favorite Plumeria? She told me it was Magnum Opus, so I ordered it. That is how I order my plants from her now. I ask what are her favorites. This year she sold me a Plumeria called Salmon Jack. That is also a fast grower even in a pot, I got it in March, and it has been blooming since May, brand new plant about 3 ft tall. I have a feeling, its going to be on my top ten list next year. Barbra

Thank you Barbara! Salmon Jack sounds intriguing. Can you tell me the fragrance for both?

Laura, you need to stop this madness. You make EVERYTHING sounds good! What are you doing to me? Making ME think I can plant a cutting? As a mom I totally get what you're saying. Plant a cutting, nurture it and when it rewards you w/ flowers, it has to be the best feeling! However patience is not my greatest virtue!

You know I have the type A personality that if I was baking I had to turn on the light to see what it was doing in the oven. When I was pregnant... I had to listen to the heartbeat every day to see what the baby was doing. Trust me if I could have afforded the Ultrasound machine I would have bought one too. I remember the first house we had I planted some bulbs from Holland... and w/in a few weeks I dug them up because I HAD to see if they were growing. Then I had this brilliant idea that if I didn't bury them so deep then I can see what was going on everyday. Bad idea, something ate my bulbs!! Others got moved so when Spring came it was a disaster!

So rooting a plumie cuttings is going to do me in. Sitting on my hands for weeks w/out fussing w/ them is going to the the biggest challenge ever! Sigh...but you make me want to try. Especially for hard to find one like Lani, I'm not going to find a rooted plant. So I'm thinking about it. :)

My top ten:

1) Penang Peach - beautiful plant and great smell
2) Slaughter Pink - blooms beautifully and good plumeria smell
3) Butterfly Hybrid - got this one from "bloomingplumeria" this year and my husband and I both love this one. The blooms are big and it is beautiful.
4) Jeannie Moragne - just beautiful
5) Yellow Chiffon - good bloomer and smells great
6) Duke - beautiful bloom
7) Butterfly Gold - hasn't bloom yet but love the pics of it
8) Makaha Sun - no blooms yet.
9) Raspberry Sundae - no blooms yet

10. Fantasia - just saw a pic of this on Brad's Buds... and it was instant love. That is one beautiful flower with a price to go along with it :)

These are my current favorites but as more bloom for me, I'm sure my favorite list will change except for my top four. Those four have been my favorites from the start.

Joan

Magnum Opus smells like roses, I will smell the Salmon Jack when I go down on Monday, and will post the results. Its so new I never thought it would bloom this year. The plants I got in Oct of last year are not blooming yet, they are just starting to produce more tips. So a plant I got in March blooming already is a good sign. The color is not a hot color, kinda looks like Heirloom. Barbra

Thank you Laura. I have 3 rooted cuttings (Lani's beauty, Noid pale pink, and Thumbalina) I will be getting a rooted KIMO soon. I look at my plumeria a few times a day, watch the leaves, I cant imagine what I will do when they bloom.

Mindy

JL Metallica
Singapore
Scentsation
Ember
Makaha Sunn
Jeannie Moragne
Charlotte Elbert
Aztec Gold
Kapalua
Key West Red
Rainbow Moragne