You may have seen plumeria, also known as frangipani, growing in tropical and sub-tropical areas as landscape plants when you travel. The flowers they produce are used for making Hawaiian leis, and frangipani is also a popular fragrance for perfumes and scented oils. When planted in the ground, plumeria plants can grow into large trees. Is it possible to plant them in pots, though? Absolutely. In fact, they can thrive on a porch or patio when growing in planters as long as the conditions are right.
That means they need bright sun at least part of the day to grow and flower, and they do best in warm climates. That’s one of the advantages of growing them in containers, actually. If the summer sun becomes too intense in one area of your backyard, you can move your plumeria to a shadier spot. They don’t like to be overwatered either, so you can easily relocate a pot under cover during rainy periods to give them a chance to dry out.
More advantages to growing plumeria in a pot
There are many different types of plumeria, and they flower in many colors, including white with yellow centers (the most common), pink, yellow, and orange. Some even have flowers that display all these colors together. This makes them attractive as landscaping plants, but they also look great decorating a patio or apartment balcony when grown in containers. This can be especially true if you rent and want to take the lovely plant you’ve nurtured with you during your next move.
Additionally, when they’re portable, you can grow plumeria trees in cooler areas where ground planting wouldn’t be suitable. A potted plumeria will go dormant in the fall when temperatures start getting below 50 degrees Fahrenheit. At that point, it will lose all its leaves. In fact, they look more like a thick sticks stuck in pots once they’re bare. No worries, though, because you can easily bring the plant inside or put it in a garage that doesn’t get below freezing until the weather warms up again. Springtime will bring a new batch of lush green leaves, and you can begin watering it again at that time. Your plumeria will also bloom again as the weather heats up on your sunny patio.
Add companion plants to your plumeria’s container
If you’re into container gardening, you already know how lovely mixed pots of plants can look on your porch or patio. There’s no reason not to try it with a plumeria tree, too. Several different plants do well with these trees as they’re growing in pots, including succulents, flax, cordylines, elephant ears, and crown of thorns.
These plants typically require the same amount of sunlight as plumeria — six hours or more — in order to thrive. And because plumeria tends to grow taller, you can add one or more of them around the base of the plant to add color, texture, and interest to the container. So, while you might not be able to travel as often as you’d like, you can enjoy the fragrant blooms of the tropics mixed in with other plant faves on your own patio with a little love and care.
