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I'm not sure exactly which type of frangipani I want. Where
do I start?
The first decision is to choose between a common hardy
frangipani or one of the more rarer species which may be
more delicate.
If you prefer a common hardier frangipani, you should choose
one of the common rubra varieties.
If you want to be different and a little more adventurous,
you should consider another variety such as obtusa, pudica
or stenophylla.
Do the evergreens
(plumeria obtusa) keep their leaves during the winter?
In tropical climates (such as Cairns, Darwin and Tropical
countries) evergreen frangipanis DO keep all
of their leaves throughout the winter. Plumeria obtusa,
Plumeria pudica and Plumeria stenophylla are all evergreen. In the south-east
Queensland area (including gold Coast, Sunshine Coast and
Brisbane), frangipani obtusas can keep their leaves all
winter depending on their location.
To ensure your evergreen frangipani keeps all of its leaves
or most of them, plant it:-
1 - where it can get the winter sun (coming from the north
in Australia), especially the morning sun.
2 - with a wall on the southside which reflects light and
heat.
What does rubra
mean?
90% of
frangipani trees you see on the east coast of Australia are
plumeria rubra. Since they are the most common type
of frangipani in Australia, they are often simply called by
the colour of their flower eg. pink frangipani. The most
common colour is the white frangipani which is the white
flower with some yellow in the centre.
The other two
common frangipani rubra colours can be grouped into pink
flowers and tricolour flowers. Tricolour flowers usually
have two strong colours and white. Pink on the outside, yellow
or
orange on
the inside. In the
early stages of flowering, stronger colours like red and
orange are more likely to be present. As flowers develop and
open, weaker colours become more predominate, for example, red becomes
pink, white areas become larger and orange becomes yellow.
Even though three colours maybe present, if a flower has
more pink than other colours it is known as a pink rather
than a tricolour.
What does obtusa mean?
The second
most easily to find frangipani species in Australia is the
plumeria obtusa. The word Singapore is used
synonymously with the words obtusa and evergreen.
The obtusa
with white flowers (also known as Singapore white) is by far
the most common obtusa in Australia, so if people say obtusa
or evergreen, the are almost certainly referring to the "Plumeria Obtusa -
Singapore White".
Do you sell any
other frangipanis besides the common rubra varieties and the
white evergreen in large sizes?
Yes, please contact us in regards to availability.
We have some beautiful cerise frangipanis in 45 litre bags. (See picture at top
left). Cerise literally means deep pink. Cerise frangipanis
belong to the plumeria rubra species.
We have yellow frangipanis in larger sizes. Some yellows are
90% yellow with a thin orange or white band and some are
pure yellow. Yellow frangipanis also belong to the plumeria
rubra species.
Depending availability, we may have one or a very limited
number of red frangipani rubras.
We also have Singapore Pinks. Singapore pink frangipanis
belong to the plumeria obtusa species. It's flowers are
smaller and are pale pink and white. Like the Singapore
White it is an evergreen but the pink is a dwarf tree. It
grows to approximately half the height of other frangipani
trees.
What are the
differences between the two common species of frangipanis?
Frangipani
Rubras are
deciduous so in winter they allow sunshine through to your
house, lawn and shrubs. They are a hardier plant so they can
handle colder climates better than frangipani obtusa varieties. These
varieties have beautifully scented and colourful flowers.
The common
EVERGREEN FRANGIAPNIS (also known as PLUMERIA OBTUSA or SINGAPORE WHITE) have
larger, green glossy leaves and larger white flowers with yellow centres.
Both the leaves and flower have rounded tips when compared to the rubra.
Like rubra flowers, flowers from the Singapore White also have a
beautiful scent.
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