Rox, Knowing that you said "named" plants kind of precludes the statement of window shopping trees in a neighborhood and asking the owner if you could purchase a cutting. The answer usually falls between "Go Away" and "take what you want." I would recommend talking with Kara G. (the operator of the Dole Plantaion Kiosk). I have had very good cuttings from Kara and from the Swap Meet sellers too. Kenny also posted about a grower on Oahu a while back. I think its a rare day for many of the "premium" sellers to allow guests to walk their tree farms. I can understand the apprehension to visitors from some of the experiences other have posted about in the forum. There is a place just southwest of Lihue called "Kauai Nursery and Landscaping" or something like that which has some plants and will ship to the mainland but frankly speaking I have been previously underwhelmed by local nurseries on all the islands as far as named plumeria. They are just pink, red, yellow, etc. There was a place in the Iao Valley on Maui but again a selection about the size of a picnic table. They had one plant named "Iao Valley" but the worker could tell me very little about it. The Big Island I havent been to since 2003 but some family friends in Wiamea (Kumuela) on the island have looked in the Kohala area for me as late as 2011 without much luck.

I use 2/3 perlite, 1/3 or less peat moss. I dampen it and use plastic water bottles, drill or punch big round holes in the bottom and a few on the sides 1-2" from the bottom. I don't cut much off of the top of the water bottles because I don't want too much water to get in if it rains. Then I wedge styrofoam in the top to secure them and to further block water from entering. I sit them in the hottest place I can find, usually the driveway or on top of Pinebark in a bed by the driveway, in full sun most of the day. I think the clear containers help them root faster. I've tried using eggs in them, honestly didn't notice any difference. I did 2 Singapores, one with the egg, one without, they rooted at the same time and roots were the same size. Both cuttings from the same tree. If we get lots of rain and I think they are too wet, I bring them inside in the air conditioning and let them go bone dry before I put them back in the sun and heat. If you don't want to worry about them getting too wet, just use perlite alone. That works fine too. Also course builders sand but if you use the sand be careful when you cut the bottle and take them out, the sand is heavy and can break the roots. Rinse the sand away, then lift them out. That's what has worked best for me here in zone 11.

Thanks again, Beachplant and pcput. Printmaster - I'm meeting John Tarvin Sunday, looking forward to a tour of his yard. Bud Guillot (Guillot's Sunset, etc.) is his neighbor not too far away. Plumeria folk: Question about etiquette - would it be rude to show up at Bud's door with a chainsaw and a pickup and ask if it's okay to take "a few cuttings" - or might that seem excessive? Just asking. moonie 57 - I'm a pretty bad enabler myself, so I know a bad example when I see it! It still works (me succumbing to the bad example), but I see it!! Thank you, too, Laura and no-Clue and jperilloux and Big Wave Dave and Bill. Jen, I may open a thread on plumeria mysteries, see if I can get help in identifying some of the tough ones. Taking pics now! Thanks for all the tips. I plan on taking pics of my yard this weekend and putting them up very soon. Don't expect too much - I've lived here less than 2 years and it's all a work in progress. But I have some interesting trees and ideas I'd love to share with you guys. So pics are coming, I promise. Bill - thanks for the info on Wildfire. I was going to put her in the ground (once I found one). Now I'll keep it in a pot in the ground, and move it when necessary. I'm starting to put together my winter plan. My previous winter plan was very light, as I didn't know we were having two extremely mild winters (I've only experience two). This year I'm getting the blankets and Christmas lights, and moving into the sunroom, and maybe building a greenhouse - it's serious. Not that I expect it to get too cold - but I rather be prepared. I almost break down when I accidentally damage an inflo - imagine what would happen if I lost a whole plant! There would be a funeral and procession. One bit of bad news: I have a spectacular 4 foot Jeannie Moragne that's been blooming like crazy. I also have a 6.5' foot one that I've been waiting to bloom. I like the Jeannie so much that I put the big one right in the middle of the yards as a centerpiece, between two Cuban Royal Palms. Today it finally opened!... Not a Jeannie. I kind of feel like Charlton Heston at the end of Planet of the Apes. So I may be looking for a big Jeannie, too. Thanks to Bill and his info, though, I may only need a small Wildfire to keep in a pot, instead of the large one I initially intended to get. I'll post a pic of my Jeannie imposter in a mysteries thread. It's rounder and more of a deep rose color and very beautiful.... wait, I can't fall in love again. Not so soon! I need a large Jeanne Moragne! And Wildfire - quick! Thanks all for making me feel welcome. Pics coming soon.

Westminister Nursery on Westminster Rd. in West Hempstead. They have lots of herbs, veggies, and a large collection of peppers every year. Most of their herbs are from Gilberties, which I find hardier than where other places source their transplants and seedlings (bought some from Hicks that didn't seem as hardy or large). It's open later hours during the growing season and they have half off sales once or twice a year. Hick's I'll only visit if I can't get it at Westminster. It's just okay. They seem to have not that much of selection of growing medium for orchids and the more exotic plants, definitely less than some years ago which is disappointing. They do half off on their veg and herbs in the summer but it just comes to nearly the same price at Westminster anyway. For more exotic veg and herbs, I have picked up Tulsi plant seedlings in Bellerose/Glen Oaks on Hillside Avenue at the small grocery stores. I saw small pots of Curry plants at the Maharaja supermarket near the corner of Hillside Avenue and New Hyde Park Rd. in New Hyde Park. Very rarely I will stop by the farm in Malverne to check out what they have. All the herbs and veg there are organic and most of them are grown in coconut coir. Nothing too unusual and the prices are higher there but I did pick up some nice lemon thyme. In the same vein, I sometimes stop by the Queens County Farm and see what they have for sale in their greenhouse, I picked up some regular English thyme there. I've had the most horrible customer experiences at the Walmart in Westbury, I will never return there (although I did pick up a terribly abused orchid from the clearance section for about $7). The Lowe's in Garden City is nothing special, they carry mostly "Bonnie" herbs and plants and they are pricer than Westminster's herb flats and don't look that hardy. This post was edited by PurpleLotus88 on Sun, Jun 30, 13 at 17:50