This will be my first full year with her. She died down to the soil-line in winter, so all the growth you see is new, starting about a month ago.

Patty gave me one a few years ago, too. I'll have to go out there and take a look at it tomorrow, to see what's happening.

It really does look like an Amorphophallus when it is all leafed out, pretty foliage and the neat stems, but the flowers are fun, too.
(last year, early May)

Couldn't wait, I took my flashlight out and had a look, the stem is up about 4ft. and there is a flower coming but the leaf canopy hasn't spread out yet, it looks like a giant green feather duster. I only have one stem on mine. Picture tomorrow!

But does the flower smell as bad as the Amorphophallus one does?

Yesterday, Alice, there was no fragrance/smell at all. I got my nose right up against the flower. Perhaps there will be fragrance as the flower matures. I've never seen one flower, so don't know how long the flowers last. There will be at least five flower stalks though, and I noticed another stalk beginning to grow yesterday.

How about a blooming Sarracenia? This Winter I kept a few carnivorous plants in the greenhouse and this one started to put out some new growth and is budding and - look at this!

Wow, @Ursula, that's really something.

Wonderful flowers, I saw some the same at the carnivorous plants display at Selby when we were there with the grandkids. It is in the children's garden section, and a lady was there showing the kids how the plants eat insects, too so it was a fun learning experience.

I have a couple of big Nepenthes inside the pool cage, and a tiny Venus Fly Trap plant out in the garden but have wanted to try the Saracenias for a while. Trouble is they die with either chlorinated water or my high pH well water, so must be watered with rain water only. When it doesn't rain my cisterns fill from the well, so I'm thinking I'll probably be killing them off if I go out of town, and the automatic sprinkler off the cisterns starts sprinkling well water.

I always love the structure on those blooms. I kept a few carnivorous plants and some small Phrags in a deep tray under the Vandas. Not all came back, but I am really happy this one made it.

Elaine, that might be it! I water with rainwater in the greenhouse. Also, I have tried Sarracenias in our small bog outside and lost them every Winter.
Perhaps you can keep one in a separate spot and wick water when you go out of town?

Yes, I need to try that. I could use a really long wick into one of my rain barrels so it wouldn't run out.

Here's my Giraffe's Knees plant. One tall stalk, and one flower laying right up against the stalk. Last year I had two . . It probably needs to be out of this dark, shady corner it's hiding in.The red Coleus keeping it company makes a nice pop of color, too. Hmmm. I think I have a spot . . .

Neat!

My two plants are potted, the smaller division in a 2 gal. pot and the original one from Patty in an 8-10 gal. pot. They get sun until around 11:00 AM and then dappled sun, shaded by palms. The one in the large pot sprouted sooner, has twice the leaf-growth, and has (so far) 5 inflo. spikes. The one in the 2 gal. pot only has a single inflo. The additional growth and flowering may be due to the plant's maturity or perhaps due to pot size. Perhaps some of both?

The plumeria are all beginning to leaf out now and several of them are in bud and/or blooming. This arrangement consists of Aztec Gold and DD's Fragrant Pink.

Ohhh, I love that! Mine are leafing out on the deck! I had to bring them in for a few day as it got really cold and wet again, but moved them back out yesterday. I think we are truly slowly seeing warmer temps here, I hope!

Ken, those plumerias look so healthy, they seem to be enjoying Florida and your good care.

Thank you.

I wish I could send you some of our heat and humidity, Ursula. It has now gotten to the point that after 15 min. outside, I'm soaked with perspiration. Thank goodness there is a 15-20 mph breeze off the Atlantic pretty much every day now. That's wind from the NE, E, and SE. When the wind turns out of the S, SW, and W, boy can you feel the difference.

Alice, I have at least 20 varieties of plumeria (more seedlings to bloom and then get named), and every variety has her own internal clock to leaf and bloom. Those Aztec Gold are really special plants though, and of course, I am partial to DD's Fragrant Pink. Not only are these two varieties very fragrant (quite different fragrances), but they both leaf out and bloom the soonest of all my plumeria. By the way, if you ever come across a plumeria beginning with the names "MM's" or "DD's", those will be my plants. I also have Rose Red and Haustin's White blooming, but those are in the ground, out in the yard. Both are also quite fragrant.

drdawg said:The plumeria are all beginning to leaf out now and several of them are in bud and/or blooming. This arrangement consists of Aztec Gold and DD's Fragrant Pink.

So Jealous... Mine are just sticks in pots with 1/2" claws at present..

Yep, if I were still in Starkville, most of my plumeria would be in the same shape as yours, Gleen. I still have lots that are just beginning to leaf-out, but probably have 75 potted plants that are well-leafed and dozens have buds/flowers. All those two dozen or so plants that are in the ground are leafing-out nicely and forming inflo. I have too many plumeria (again!) and have just got to make myself begin to sell some.

Glenn, you'll probably be able to relate to this. In all my 20 or so years growing plumeria, I always had to grow them in pots. Like you, because of winter's cold, all my tropical plants had to come inside in the fall.

Now I'm in a different world. I have a couple dozen plumeria in the ground and the photos below are of one planting of four plants. One of those is the Haustin's White and though just beginning to bloom, the focus of this group is my DD's Fragrant Pink. She was a 3 tipped plant when she was planted last May and was around 4' tall. She is now over 7' tall, has 13 tips, and 6 inflo. So that her tips/branches would not be so horizontal, I figured out a way to "train" her to reach for the sky. Perhaps I can remove that pole in the summer and her branches will remain vertical.

You are killing me, Ken! They are gorgeous!!

Ursula. Truly, a different (growing) world.

You should see my "Green Giant", grown from seed that you donated some 4 yr. ago. Gosh, it can't be 4 years, can it? Perhaps 3 years? Anyway, she is simply drop-dead gorgeous. She's got some 3 dozen flowers, lots more buds, and just about glows. She's due for an up-potting and I'll uncover her huge caudex more then.