Oh, also, these will be in pots, brought in during the winter and plunged into raised beds in warmer months, so those that don't get too leggy or tall would be ideal.
Thanks!

TruNorth7-

Very exciting! Shopping for plumie's is so fun- been spending all my money lately on this hobby. Hard, as SF is so close yet so far away from JJ's.

Ok, so I don't have a wealth of knowledge, but recently I was at JJ's and John was very much in favor of Divine, but it sounds like you've already decided on that one. He had SO many beautiful Divine, and it will be compact, almost more bushy. John was telling me how he has one along a walkway that he's had to trim back, almost like a hedge. He truly seemed to love this tree. CA Sunset is also very popular, a seedling of Penang Peach I believe- he had several on site already blooming. I don't prefer the flower, wish I did cause there were many beauties, but John was also very into this tree.

Of your list, I have Inca Gold and LOVE. It is about to bloom, although I wouldn't describe it as leggy, it has long branches. I can post a pic if you want, I would say many of JJ's trees are this way, thin, long branches. It is said to be one of the must have yellow's. I do not have J105 but hear a lot about it and think it is probably a great choice. Thumbalina is similar to Divine in its growth habit.

Not on your list but one John talked me into is Desert Sunrise, he said it is INCREDIBLE. Couldn't resist that, sometimes you gotta go with the 'maker'. One other not on your list but that John was all about was scentsational, which is a simply white flower with an intense flower. That was also blooming and it was intoxicating.

Not sure if this helps at all, I love all your choices and would have a difficult time narrowing it down myself. Let us know and I look forward to everyones input!

Wendy

Tru, I bought Divine for my mom about eighteen months ago and it hasn't bloomed yet, so I was a little disappointed but it seems a good plant otherwise. The fact that it's so compact alone makes it very attractive for those of us who haul our plants in every winter.

I have J105 and love the thick growth habit and foliage, though, again, haven't seen blooms. I also bought a small grafted Honeypot last year that hasn't bloomed (I'm seeing a pattern here, lol!) but I have to say that I'm very disappointed by the plant. It doesn't seem at all a good grower. It's been stalled the entire year I've had it, very unimpressive.

If starting all over again, I'd get J105, Gina and maybe Divine again--just because it's so recommended--in the biggest sizes they sell. It stinks to have to wait years to see blooms from these plants!

Hi TruNorth, I bought Cal. Sunset from John and love the plant. That said, the color of the flowers changes dramatically with the amount of heat the plant gets. Cooler temperatures, as you might experience, will give you paler, more yellow flowers. Intense heat, as we got during Santa Ana conditions, will change the color to intense orange and red tones. The difference is so dramatic that you might think you are looking at different varieties of plumeria. So it depends if color is really important to you... Let us know which ones you end up with.
Good luck,
Iso

Hi Trunorth,

I have a Cal Sunset and i love it too! Divine is a beauty and i would definately suggest to have that one on the list. I really like my J-105 and i will post a pic for you to see..

Elizabeth Thorton Lemon Drop is another that is a must have.

Take care,

Laura

{{gwi:3297}}

I read that California Sunset is another name for Penang Peach, has anyone else heard that?

elucas101, from what I found, CA. Sunset is believed to be a seedling of Penang Peach. Peg

Sorry to bump in on your thread but since you were discussing JJ, I thought I would ask a question too.

Is there anyone that is an experienced JJ buyer that could tell me if he has any orange colored plumeria's? I hate to spend $13 on a catalog (I know, I'm tight, wanna save my money for a nice cutting). I'd appreciate any recommendations or even photos too.

kim319, On the 2011 SCPS Sept sale there is an Orange Jack listed that is his. http://plumeriafestival.com/assets/downloads/2011saleCultivarListv4.pdf
Hope that is what your looking for. Peg

I would get the Divine if your looking for something nice and compact. Mine bloomed pretty quickly. It bloomed it's second year (2010) and has bloomed every year since at least 3 times. This year it already has an inflo that overwintered indoors. It should be in bloom in 2 weeks (my earliest plumeria bloom!). My Divine grows so slowly and compactly that I dont think it will ever even outgrow its pot. The cuttings root easily too (accidentally broke a tip off last summer and potted it up!)
Good luck!
-Alex

If I may correct a former statement; I was at JJ's today and there are many CA Sunset's in bloom. Beautiful flower, I guess my opinion came from seeing it before it had really bloomed. That probably doesn't help you any.

Wendy: I�m so jealous; I wish I could go to JJ�s! I�m trying to convince Sweetheart that we need to take a road trip down South, but he�s resistant to spending 9 hours in the car because "they�re just some plants". Not just any plants, I tell him, they're SPECIAL plants. He doesn�t seem to get it =)
Will you post a picture of your Inca Gold? Unfortunately Desert Sunrise is out of my price range ($55 for a 1 gal!).

Jandey- Thanks for the Honeypot note. I love the picture of it but don�t want a plant that will be too fussy

Iso- How hot is hot? I�m inland from SF (Contra Costa County) and it gets pretty toasty here in the summer (90�s usually in July/August. Last year we had a heat wave with temps over 100* for 10 days. It was awful, particularly because I don't have A/C in my house)

Laura: OMG!!! That J-105 is amazing! I NEED one!

Alex- Thanks for the Divine tips. I would love to have one that is easier to root. Being very new to the plumeria world I haven�t had much success with rooting. Ok, actually.

Does anyone have pictures of CA Sunset?

Thanks to all your great comments, I think I will be ordering:
Divine
Inca Gold
J-105
Thumbalina
(And maybe CA sunset)
I'd like to get the 2 gallon size. Is there a big difference in size and # of branches between the 1 and 2 gallons?

Computer glitch I think... I meant to say I've actually had NO success rooting cuttings.
Thanks everyone! You all ROCK and are so helpful!

FYI... If your looking for scents most of the JJ's plumies you listed have very little scent, though they make up for it in color. Most of JJ's original stock were Penang peach seedlings thus the similarities. If your in the SF bay area you will not get the color or shapes you would if you were in a warmer, sunnier more humid area. If your in a color area J105 is very pretty and gets large, but you will not get the color Laura in VB gets. Also CA Sunset will look more on the yellow side.
Gina also needs sun and heat or it looks more like CA Sunset when its colorful. Here is a pic of Gina when it was only 80.

Christina with upper 70s temps

TruNorth, I have pictures of a Cal. Sunset inflo that has flowers which opened up during cool temps and flowers which opened up after Santa Ana conditions (about 95F). Amazing to see them side by side. Don't know how to post pictures here, but if you send me an email, I'll send them to you.
Iso

CA Sunset with temps around 78

Hey Freak, that Christina sure looks a lot like Magnum Opus.

Goodness, not an easy choice at all! You ask a good question about the pot size. Sometimes I don't get it at all, as I'll see large trees in 1 or 2 gal, and then see small'ish ones in larger containers. The tree behind my inca gold was in a 1 gal when I bought it!

After being there yesterday there isn't a HUGE difference visually between the 1-2 gal, however they are probably older and will therefore bloom sooner.

BTW, no wonder John was pushing DS! The day I picked it up was the one and only time I brought my hubby, he offered to pay; no wonder he seemed shell shocked, lol! It is a SLOW grower, making me nuts. Everything else I can easily notice a difference day to day, not the DS.

Here's my Inca, it's getting SO close to opening, can't wait! I've heard from a few friends that many of JJ's trees don't have the typical strong fragrance of a plumeria. But they are beautiful! I'm hot for a Bewitched, whether or not it has a nice fragrance.

Good luck, and if I can help you further let me know!

Wendy

Dewaine,

In the heat the Christina pics up color and looks like JJ's pics. Gabby and Sonia thought it looked like Napoli, but later when it got hotter it looked like it should.
Again good examples of how plumies look different depending on lighting and temps

You're right James. I found other pictures of Christina that looked very similar to Magnum Opus. Of the two, which one do you prefer?

Hi guys, if you are looking for a fragrant JJ plumeria, I can highly recommend "Sparkle". It has a really nice, clean, citrusy fragrance (my favorite one). The flowers are more yellowish-whitish in cooler weather with red streaks radiating out from the middle in hot weather. The fragrance is hardly affected by the temps. Love that plant.
Iso

Iso- That is a beautiful flower!!!! Now I want one. Adding to the list- rather unfortunate that my birthday has already passed, but hey, maybe mother's day??

Hi Wendy, I keep Sparkle up against a wall on the south side of the house. That way, it gets the most heat here in Carlsbad. We are only 3 miles from the beach, so finding the best micro climate in my yard is important.
Another JJ variety that I "had to" buy last year is Mona Lisa ($45 for a 1 gallon plant). I know that's crazy, but the combination of colors in its flowers sold me. It is slightly fragrant, and supposed to get more so as it matures, but that remains to be seen... Check it out.
Iso

PS: I know what you mean, my birthday has already passed, too, but I'm hoping for a mother's day gift certificate...

Agh, Iso- you've done it again! You've got incredible taste in trees.

I cannot find either of them on sale. :o( I mean that's a good thing, for now, but if I cannot at least find one for sale or a price
I can't start rationalizing and or begging for a gift cert, lol.

We are close! I am in San Elijo Hills, just narrowly escaping the coastal eddy- although none of us were safe today.

Hi again Wendy,
Yes, not a single ray of sunshine today! Have you called John about Sparkle? Last time I was there (I think it was for his open house)he didn't have name tags on a lot of his plants and I found a Sparkle kind of by accident. Don't know if they are even blooming yet. If you'd be okay with a cutting: I saw an ad on craigslist (Orange county) where somebody was selling a big cutting in Laguna Hills a few days ago... You know, it might just be warm enough for Mona Lisa where you live. I've only had good, strong colors one time last year after the Santa Anas. I'll have to see how this year goes.
Have a good week,
Iso

PS: We are almost "neighbors"!

I bought Sparkle from John last summer. I got really lucky. He told me that he had to bring it back from his farm in Thailand. What was really cool for me is that I ordered a 1 gal. pot and he didn't have any Sparkle in 1 gal. so he gave me the 2 gal potted for free! I live in NY state, so he must have paid a small bundle for the shipping on Sparkle!

The onlt thing I have noticed is that sometimes the tips stop growing and new tips form somewhere else. I have one tip right now that is dormant, and has been for a while but no new tip yet.

I am hoping for blooms this summer. I love this plumeria, no thanks to Iso's pics! Cannot wait to see the flower myself!

Today I recieved a very nice Taj Mahol. The best part is that the inflo is double! The one inflo is quite large while the other is a little smaller. This will be perfect for extending the blooms of this awesome variety!

Andrew