Matt et al, I have been smelling C. fragrans periodically but I could at times only detect a mild fragrance. The flowers are very beautiful with the Apocynaceous whirl and straight squared off petal tips. I visited Girardinos (rare flora)and mentioned to Sid my disappointment with the plant's fragrance. Sid said there are actually two species in cultivation. C. fragrans which is mildly fragrant and C. panangensis which is fully fragrant! I bought one of the later, which was about a foot tall in a 3 gallon pot. It had two inflorescences. It sequential bloomer so it buds continue to develop and it continues to flower for some time. The flowers look the same as C. fragrans. It is not wafting but a large plant with many flowers probably will produce scent detectable away from the flowers A warning, however, these can become huge woody vines Happy sniffing

My Update : Well, need to tell you about my experiment with olive oil against spider mites : Young leaves on the plumeria suffered a little of the oil application. some brown spot appeared, scattered across the leaf surface. But for now, leaves are still green, and brown spots are small enough. The oily leaves look like they will survive. The essential is here : mites are gone - probably to hell where they belong - as far as I can tell. The dark side of the Force : Jasmine (Sambac) leaves which were treated the same way are now discoloured, looking partially translucent, brownish. Green places still remain on these leaves and I think they will survive, although they are damaged. To help it recover, I've rinsed thoroughly the plant in order to wash away the excess of oil. My conclusion : I believe that using oil (olive or other vegetable oil) can be useful against spider mites, but use it with the following cautions : On plumeria, this should be considered as a Autumn / Winter preventative treatment. I found it is safe to apply on the stem and apex of dormant plumeria. The oil can stay the entire winter on the plant. - in spring or summer, if you must fight a mite infestation, you can use it, but I strongly suggest to avoid the oil to soak the leaves for too long. You can leave it for one day, and then you must wash away the excess of oil with a water hose. A stem application is safe, and would prevent the mites travelling up to the apex. These caution rules apply to other plants that can be eventually more sensitive to oil. In short : oil is best for winter treatment. For the times when Plumeria are out of dormancy, washing away the mites with water alone or with dish soap (small amount) are safer. do it on a regular time schedule, say once a week : Plumeria and other plants will take benefit of this moisture. Et Voilà ! Your comments are welcome if you find something to add to this short experiment.

Leona, Yup. All from cuttings from various places. The bright red one came from the Riverfront Market in New Orleans. It's my visual reminder of that wonderful city. I have several others from cuttings that have not bloomed yet. For me they can take about two or three growing seasons to bloom, depending on the maturity of the cutting. They can be a challenge up here in the 'north'. Once they start growing, they like a lot of root room to do their best and very well-draining soil -- and lots of water during the growing season. I have to water almost every day! Winter's another story. Almost bone dry the way I store mine.

ashalee91 you can get blue frangipani cuttings on ebay... http://www.ebay.com/itm/CUTTING-OF-PLUMERIA-7-12-INCHES-HAVE-ROOTED-BLUE-HAWAI-WITH-CERTIFICATED-/251169169095?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0amp;hash=item3a7ad95ec7 http://www.ebay.com/itm/CUTTING-OF-PLUMERIA-7-12-INCHES-HAVE-ROOTED-CHELSEA-WITH-CERTIFICATED-/251169169512?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0amp;hash=item3a7ad96068 and purple.. http://www.ebay.com/itm/CUTTING-OF-PLUMERIA-7-12-INCHES-HAVE-ROOTED-SKY-VIOLET-WITH-CERTIFICATED-/251169169801?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0amp;hash=item3a7ad96189 let me know if you get one...i would be very interested in seeing a pic of them bloom :) Sarah