Las Vegas Plumerias
These are plumeria plants I have been growing for at least 4-5 years. I think I bought them on clearance from Lowe's for $.99 a piece! One of those bargains that have lasted for me over the years, unlike a number of countless plant victims:( Yes, I am a Lowe's clearance rack hoarder. It's easy to justify buying lots of plants at rock bottom prices....maybe too much sometimes! Haha!
The desert can be merciless with plants but there are surprisingly many plants that can flourish in our zone 8b/9a, low humidity, and abundantly sunny Las Vegas climate.
The foxtail asparagus fern, as shown, is loving the eastern sun exposure. Late afternoon shade can make a difference between toasty plants and happy plants. On extremely frosty nights where lows fall into the 20's it helps to move the plumerias into the garage until the weather warms back up. In the winter months in Las Vegas, plumerias tend to defoliate for me and go dormant until spring....this dormancy seems to afford additional cold hardiness as I don't protect the plumerias unless a hard frost is forecast. I am a lazy gardener so please don't judge. I do however mix the potting mixture for plumerias with sand and perlite for extra drainage. Too much moisture is the enemy of plumerias and I have learned this lesson many times with root rot. Watering once or twice a week in a large container during the summer, seems to be ample soil moisture in my neck of the desert. Plumerias can go at least 2-3 weeks without moisture in the cooler winter months.
The area of town I live (Providence) is more elevated from the valley floor, causing more frequent winds and cooler winter temps than the Las Vegas norm. The Strip is easily 5-10 degrees warmer depending on the time of year! House eaves, trees, and block walls can add a few degrees of protection from frost for tender sub-tropical plants in the yard.
Can I buy plumeria cuttings in Nevada? Thinking it's highly unlikely but figured I'd ask.
ReplyDeleteYou can actually buy potted plumeria right now at Lowe's. Pink or white/yellow varieties. Located near the gardenia plants.
ReplyDeleteThank you for your post! Your post is very encouraging! I just received two stems from Maui as a gift and I potted them in cactus soil and pumice as per the instructions. They are very lightly watered and placed in my bathroom now under medium light amongst other plants. I truely have no experience with Plumeria and have destroyed my share of exotic plants! I am clueless as to whether this is the right environment for them at this time if the year!
ReplyDeleteI live in Henderson which is typically warmer than the Providence area but I have an eastern alcove that I can place them in the Spring!
Oh how I would love to experience your results! Any advice would be appreciated!
I purchased a plumeria in the spring and it has doubled in size. However, just the other day I noticed that it lost all its foliage over night... is that normal? I know we have had a few colder nights, but not that cold... please let me know your thoughts. Thank you
ReplyDeleteYour plumeria is on a East facing wall, right? Thank you in advance.
ReplyDeleteI live in mesquite nv and planted my plumeria in a bright area but not in full sun. Will I be able to get it to flower
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