You have an impressive collection, congratulations! I just bought a few cuttings so mine look like the ones in your fourth picture (second and third plants in the first row). Since you have lots of experience with plumeria, do you know how long does it take for a cutting like that to flower? Thanks. I don't think I'll see any flower this year.

just lovely, Laura.

Beautiful, Laura! Everything looks so healthy now despite the leaf problems you had earlier.

Mimi at Aloha pointed out that in Hawaii many trees begin to shed a lot of leaves at this point in the year--a kind of mini-dormancy--to prepare for a new flush of leaves again before winter. I'm definitely finding more yellow bottom leaves but I assumed it was major heat stress. But, hey, only a high of 103 today!

Seeing your DR seedlings I can't believe I didn't realize my seedlings were actually plumeria; the two look quite different. What is the seedling with the very thin pointed leaves?

Hi Laura
I can't believe how everything is growing and the BLOOMS!!! I see some familiars in the group. Looking good. :) Peg

Laura, just absolutely stunning!! Love the wall of plumeria. My DH was complaining that my pots are all lining up along the fence. LOL. Just wait till I show your pictures to him. The mooning DR has a twisted seed pod? Weird indeed. Your pictures are great, they make this unusually hot and steamy summer that much more tolerable. :)

Kuan

Laura, as usual lovely display of healthy plants. I like the way you arrange your plants on deck and next to pool. So structured and well kept. This definitely requires lot of your time tending to them. Keep sharing, I enjoy viewing your pics. How do you describe the fragrance for Guillots Sunset, fruity, spicy or floral?

Laura,
OMG GORGEOUS pic, love Guillots...one of my fav's!!
Your place looks amazing, but looks like a full time job with the amount of plants you now have.
Loving your J105 also, have had mine for 3 yrs and it only flowered once.

Thanks again.

Laura,

Beautiful GS! My GS is getting re-established this summer since the roots rotted in the garage two winters ago. I've now got two 3-foot high plants going though. Hopefully we might see some blooms next year.

I just noticed how many cuttings you have rooting. You're insane! Wait until all these plants get 6 feet tall! LOL! You'll need a 14 x 20 greenhouse (at least).

I need to know what kind of mix you are using for the plumerias. You probably mentioned in another thread. Looks like pine bark, perlite, and what else? Are you finding it takes a lot more watering? We definitely need to talk soil sometime.

I've found mixing Perma-Till/Vole-Bloc (expanded slate), large and small Perlite, and Miracle Grow Cactus Soil seems to give me a good mix. But I've just started using this so I'm still waiting to see.

I can't find a good small, uniform pine bark here (unless I screen it, and I don't have time). I also can't find a good lava rock that's uniformly small, unless I pound it down, and I don't have time for that either! Maybe when I retire. LOL!

Laura,
Are your desert rose planted in terra cotta pots? what mix do you use for them? Your plumeria are just Gorgeous!!
thanks :)
chuy

Awesome pics as always! I love the blooms!
-Alex

Hello Everyone,

Thanks everyone for the nice compilments!!!

Springpaintings...it usually takes a couple of years for the cuttings to be able to produce an inflo sometimes longer. That is why some of us buy a rooting tree, that helps the tree be established earlier for us to possibly see blooms. These trees and different varieties all have different personalities....so they will flower when they are ready, providing we give them the right amt of
sunlight, mix and fertilizer... Thats why its so much fun to see all of us arounf the country grow these exotic beauties. The rewards of having them bloom are so exciting!!! Good Luck!!!

Bill,

Thank you!!! My Psycho is about to open, ill be gone out on a trip..so hopefully ill be home to see the beauty of the show!!! Cant wait!!! Lani is ready too!

Jen,

My leaf problems have slowed down, i know it was mostly my fault in that i sprayed them when it was so hot outside. Even though i sprayed them in the early hours, i still think that i should have waited. Oh well, they are coming back and look pretty healthy! Those small pointed seedlings are Oleander seedlings. I have large Oleanders at the back of my pool and these seedlings grow like weeds. So, i out some in pots to give to friends. They are Watermelon in color. Ill post a pic if you have not seen Oleander before. Let me know!!!

Hi Peg,

Yes, those seedlinga look familiar because you gave them to me!!! LOL..The Strp. seedlings and the DR seedlings are all doing great. I have them under a tree to protect them from the scorching heat!

Thanks for the kind comments!!!

Kwan,

Thank you as weel for the kind words...it is a wall of Plumeria!!! LOL...Josh named this and it has stuck for the "wall" LOL YOuu are right about that little Dr having such a unique personality!!! IT does have an attitude!! LOL

Kandhi,

Thanks!!! IT does take time to care for the trees, but sa you all know, we love to tend to these little trees!!!
I love to come home and see what has changed and what might be changing on my trees! Quite relaxing for me!!!
The fragrance to me from my GS is floral..but some might smell something different! MY sniffer isnt what it used to be, so i do enjoy the fragrance of this beauty!!

Maybe someone can give you the correct fragrance of the Guillots Sunset!! I lose the fragrance, but like i said, it smells floral to me!!!

James,

Cheers!!! MY friend!!! Nice to see you!!! Thank you for all of the nice compliments on my trees! IT is a full time job taking care of the trees, but i enjoy it so much. Ii even work full time, so when i home, this is where i come to relax!!! YOu know what im talking about!!!
Most Plumeria addicts understand...LOL
I love my Guillots Sunset...it is one of my favorites too!
You did post a pic of your Leela, and a very generous person sent it to me!!! I cant wait to see the blooms on this beauty!!! Now..the J105...WOW Im go excited on this tree! The size of the blooms and the thickness of the blooms are so unique. I love the coloraion in the blooms as well!

I did place an order on Ebay for a Cerise...it has been 2 mts...i contacted them three times to no avail..Im not a happy camper...i dont buy to much on ebay...and they say that i waited to long to get my $ back, since it was over 45 days... : (

ANy how...nice to see you and i hope that u are having a great summer with lots of blooms on your trees!!! Im sure you have a wonderful looking collection!!! I just wish we could have met when ii came out to Costa Mesa...next time!!!

Dave,

LOL...Yes, Imm insane!!! LMAO you did see the new cutting that are growing!!! Oh, well.. what to do? as far as mixes..

I use Fir bark, perlite, Turface, Pumice, some gran i grit and some Ocean Forest with bat guano with worm castings.

We have a hard time finding the ing thst they use out in Ca. I also do have some of my trees in the Gritty mix, and they seem to love it!!! ALl of my new trees go into the gritty mix. We can chat about that too!

Chuy,

HI!! Thanks you for the kind comments!!!

All of my Desert rzoses are in "Al's Gritty Mix" thy really love it and they seem to respong to being in fukk sun too! They are all in terra cotta pots!!

Alex,

Thanks for the nice compliments...i love your plants and trees too! YOu have a great collection...gald to see your Scott Pratt and CA Sunset coming along!!! WOOHOO!

Take care everyone..

Laura in VB

Hey Dave,

Here is the cutting of the DR seedling that you gave me several years ago!! Can you believe how it looks...
I love the Caudeux..it is so fat and happy!!

Thank you!!

Also you had asked about the before and after of the Dr's that i cut them back!!!

I very good friend... :) strongly encourged me to cut them back! So after, gaining some...ahhh...nerve!!! LOL
i went ahead and did it! Im sure glad that i did. You can see the difference in just the short time that i gave them the haircut that they needed... Tks.. : )

Your seedling...

Now the before pics of the DR's ...

After the trim....

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{{gwi:40099}}

now....
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seedlings on the Dr's...

{{gwi:1190619}}
{{gwi:1188987}}

Take care everyone!!!

Cheers!!!

Laura in VB

Laura,

Where do you find pumice? And what size fir bark do you use? Where do you get that?

thanks in advance.

Hey Dave,

I buy the large bags of Fir bark at the local Petsmart in the reptile section. When it goes on sale, i will buy three bags at a time. When im making the gritty mix, i screen it ( some dont even screen this size of fir bark for their gitty mix) and keep the larger pieces for other things. Such as using them in other mixes for some other plants (older Plumies) also, i use this to put around the top of my contaners. It not only looks nice, but it protects some of the finer roots that seem to want to come to the surface. I do use the "gritty mix" for the new trees. I would have way to many to repot in the gritty mix, so i just amend some of the soil with other things on hand when i have to repot larger trees. I dont ever go any larger than a five gallon container and most of my trees are in one and three gallon containers. I did learn this from Bud and Bill. They dont go any larger in the size of the containers and dont root prune as much as we think. So i leave them alone and they seem to enjoy the pots that they are in.

I do purchase the pumice on line from a guy in Las Vegas. If youu want his name, i can look it up. When i make the mix for some of the older trees that are not going into the "Gritty mix" i use Pumice, turface, firbark, gran i grit, and some Ocean Forest.

I hope this helps...

The "gritty mix" is really the best...and it does drain really fast. But, my trees really seem to love being in this really fast draining mix. Even when i transfer them from bottles to pots.

Hope this answers some of the questions!!

Take care everyone!!

Laura in VB

A very impressive and beautiful collection you have there Laura. But even more impressive is the time that you take to respond to 'all' of your posts. Very classy and well done.

Hi Laura,
Your GS is awesome! I would have had blooms but it fell and the inflo snapped off. Oh well...it will root even better now. Did your Psycho bloom yet? I love mine! The inflo is over 10 inches wide!!

Sonia emailed me to tell me my Taj and D.S. are on the way. I also got a free cutting of this really pretty noid. The flowers are yellow with this greenish tint to them.

Take care,
Andrew

Laura, that's fantastic that you got seed pods from DRs that you cut back--that was good advice from your friend.

We had lots of oleander around when I was growing up, mostly because we always lived in hot places, but I've never seen the seedlings.

Andrew, I thought you were "done" for the year, LOL! Looking at Sonia's pics is DANGEROUS. I've resisted so far, but I don't know how long I can hold out!

Hi Jandey,
YEah I know what you mean. I got rid of 1 of my Nebel's Rainbow. Now I really want this Vienna Rose from Jungle Jacks...never have I seen a plumeria like it BEFORE!

Andrew

Hello Everyone,

I just read the other post from Purdee54, Thank you so much for all of the wonderful compliments...You really just made my day, Thank you!!!

WE all do enjoy all of our plants and it seems that we all grow them differently. So it is so much fun to see how others plant their trees. I do get a charge from people like you that give a valued compliment to me and i certainly appreciate that!!! I really get back form pe ople the excitement that they have when they see something or maybe learn something that they have been questioning....means more to me to help others...just the same as when i was new to the forum!!! If it wasnt for the other posters where would we all be? SO, we need to help these other people out as best as we can!!! It feels so good to see thst people really want to learn, so that keeps me going along with their enthusiam!!!

Thankk you Purdee54, you are a very kind person to have posted such kind things!!!! Many Thankyous!!!!

Take care everyone,

Laura in vb