I've been growing Plumeria (aka Frangipani or Hawaiian Lei Flower) since I started gardening on this corner of Katy. My mother gave me a branch of her white Plumeria and a friend from Corpus Christi handed out Plumeria sticks at a dinner with friends not long thereafter. Every time I'd visit her in Corpus, she'd send me home with another stick or two, which is how I came to own somewhere around 8 to 10 plants. None of them were profuse bloomers, owing to the fact that I'd forget to haul them out of storage in the garage until May or even June most years, and then rarely fed them. Eventually I passed most of them off to friends and fellow gardeners. I kept the one my mother gave me and I think the other, which is small tree sized, is one of those Jan gave me. It hasn't bloomed yet this year (no surprise there).
One of the problems I've encountered each and every year is pictured above and below. The leaves grow pale and scorched and they're a sad sight indeed. I'm wondering if the problem is due to my habit of placing the pots on the concrete driveway and in past years, on the concrete patios. Considering how hot concrete surfaces get in a Houston summer, I think it's possible that the intensity of the heat traveling up into the pot is too much for the plants. If there are any Plumeria fanatics out there who can tell me whether I'm right, please leave me a comment. If that's not the problem, I'd very much appreciate your input. For now, I've moved the pots into the garden, so they're resting on soil rather than concrete.
I'm happy that the white Plumeria is blooming: one whiff of the fragrance and I feel like I'm back in Hawaii!
I've been growing Plumeria (aka Frangipani or Hawaiian Lei Flower) since I started gardening on this corner of Katy. My mother gave me a branch of her white Plumeria and a friend from Corpus Christi handed out Plumeria sticks at a dinner with friends not long thereafter. Every time I'd visit her in Corpus, she'd send me home with another stick or two, which is how I came to own somewhere around 8 to 10 plants. None of them were profuse bloomers, owing to the fact that I'd forget to haul them out of storage in the garage until May or even June most years, and then rarely fed them. Eventually I passed most of them off to friends and fellow gardeners. I kept the one my mother gave me and I think the other, which is small tree sized, is one of those Jan gave me. It hasn't bloomed yet this year (no surprise there). 
One of the problems I've encountered each and every year is pictured above and below. The leaves grow pale and scorched and they're a sad sight indeed. I'm wondering if the problem is due to my habit of placing the pots on the concrete driveway and in past years, on the concrete patios. Considering how hot concrete surfaces get in a Houston summer, I think it's possible that the intensity of the heat traveling up into the pot is too much for the plants. If there are any Plumeria fanatics out there who can tell me whether I'm right, please leave me a comment. If that's not the problem, I'd very much appreciate your input. For now, I've moved the pots into the garden, so they're resting on soil rather than concrete. 
I'm happy that the white Plumeria is blooming: one whiff of the fragrance and I feel like I'm back in Hawaii!
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