Hi Andrew! I am so sorry that you lost your love-gifted Black Tiger from Laura. Yes, it is always especially depressing to lose something that was given from a friend.

You are so lucky with your Katie! Mine has struggled since I received it back in the summer. I feel like in the end she won't make it. Hopefully I'm wrong.

The other day I discovered an inflo on candy stripe so I'm excited about that. For some reason I had a regular incandescent bulb in one of my lights. Thought it had a CFL in it but, wrong! I burned three tips on a celadine. For some reason I have the worst luck with celadine. Don't know why! LOL

Your Leela sounds scrumptious! How is it's growth habit? I did have it on my want list at one time but I believe it is a leggy grower? Maybe it's worth it, huh? :)

Andrew, I know you must be sick and tired of having to talk about your back problems but I just want to let you know that I am so sorry that you are going through so much. The pain and lack of sleep could be nothing less than debilitating. Don't let yourself get into a funk about it. You are an awesome plumie person and it shows in all your posts. I'm so happy that you have a partner that loves you, and your family and friends, too. I will keep you in my thoughts and prayers and hope for a pain-free 2013 year for you!

I've only today caught up on what's been going on around the forum. I work for a nursery and we do poinsettias so this is a very busy time for me and I have had little chance to so much as peek in. Soon it will all be over! :)

Take care, stay sweet and get lots of rest!

Hi Mona,
I really appreciate all your kind words. I never get sick of talking about my back with you and all my other friends here. You are right, I have a very loving and caring partner, and if it wasn't for him Mona, I wouldn't be ok with my situation. I would be scared and really depressed. I wish I could say that I have a loving and supportive family, but I cannot say that whole heartedly. My own mother pretty much told me I would burn in hell for all eternity. Now how do you think that makes me feel? Now she's a retired nurse and I asked her if she could go with my for this last minute appointment with my surgeon and she said she couldn't make it because she had to go with my father and my sister in law to Pittsburg. My sister in law was having lasik eye surgery and she couldn't drive back, but my father was there for that. I really wanted my mother there so she could ask all the important questions that I may have forgotten to ask. I thought with her input I could have made a much more informed decision, but I ended up doing it without her. All I can say is thank god for Laura. I truly believe that people come into our lives for different reasons, and in some ways, I feel like Laura has been like a mom to me. She has been great for bouncing ideas off of and in regards to this surgery, she helped me make a good decision. She truly means a lot to me. Her and I have formed more than a friendship, and it came so unexpectedly. She truly has a heart of gold, and I am so blessed to have her in my life. With all this being said, I think it helps you and all the others to understand why I was so upset to lose this particular plumeria, but quite honestly, I am sad no matter who gave it to me. They are all just special to me because of who they came from. I flat out refuse to give any of these plumeria away, though when it's time for them to be pruned, I always planned on paying it forward. This being the reason why I wanted to gift you my Psycho cutting. I am blessed to have all the friends that I have made here. You all have been so great and supportive to me during this trying time!

I also wanted to tell you Mona that your Psycho is still here waiting for you! I am so sorry that it has taken me so long to get it to you. I feel bad that I didn't get it to you before the outside temps got so cold, but honestly, it formed roots in the water, but they died off for some reason. They barely grew a 1/4 of an inch before they turned brown and died. I am going to pot it up tomorrow and put it under my HPS light and it should root much faster that way.

Don't feel bad about Celadine Mona. I too have had nothing but terrible luck with mine. At one time I had 3 or 4 Celadines. My first came from Mimi. It was the first plumeria cutting that ever bloomed for me, and I LOVED it's fragrance! I can see why people say it's the classic fragipani fragrance! Anyhow, that cutting is almost 3 years old now. It sadly never bloomed last year, and while moving it one day, I bumped the tip on my leg and snapped it off! IT was a 3 tip tree and now it is a 2 tip. I was gifted a HUGE celadine cutting around 3 years ago by a very good friend here. That cutting was around 2ft long and it was like a tree branch, I swear! I had to support that cutting with a couple bamboo sticks. That was also a 3 tip cutting but the package must have been banged around and it snapped the one tip. Anyhow I did root that tip, but I gave it to my Aunt and Uncle. My Aunt loves plumeria and she was never able to root the cutting, so I felt like I really should give it to them. I am glad now that I did it. My Uncle was diagnosed Esophogeal cancer but we don't know what his prognosis will be. God willing, they will be able to get him into remission, but I am bound and determined to get them a blooming tree for this coming summer.

That's too bad about your Katie Moragne. When you got it, did it arrive in bad shape? IF it did, did you try to get a replacement? Most places I have found will offer a replacement if it arrived in poor condition. I don't want to say where I got these plumeria, but my last order I got had 2 in rough shape and I got 1 replaced all ready. The other will come this spring.

My Katie came from Florida Colors and I truly believe that a big reason why mine is thriving and blooming for me is that it was grafted. In my experience, the grafted trees just seem to out perform the other trees on there own roots. I was very lucky to get a J.L. Metallica from Florida Colors, and yes, it is grafted so I am expecting that I can have an inflo as early as this summer, or by the nest summer at the latest. I have decided to keep about 20 of my trees under my 600 watt HPS light, and I know that this is what's responsible for them putting out all this great growth, and inflos! Right now I have inflos on my Taj Mahol which I am really not trying to get too excited about because this is the second time it has produced an inflo but all the buds dropped. This was such a dissapointment for me! I even tried moving the tree to different spots over the summer to see if that would help but all I could get was flowers that were maybe 1/3 of the way open and then they would drop. I could detect an awesome fragrance but that was it:( Besides Taj Mahol, I also have inflos on JJ Christina(flower opened and is a deep reddish pink with an orange band. The center of the flower is orange, and it does have a very nice fragrance but I cannot describe it. This is my largest tree at just under 4ft tall with 6 tips I believe. My Leela, is amazing Mona! The flowers are huge too! I just measured one of the flowers that dropped and it was almost 4 inches long! I love the appearance of the flower too. The twisty, curly petals are just so cool looking, and the fragrance has become one of my favs now, with it's strong jasmine/gardenia fragrance. Now I am positive that someone will tell me I am crazy for thinking it smells this way. I will tell you that I stink at trying to ID plumeria scents correctly.

As far as 'Leela's growth habit goes, I would say that it is a tall grower, and I do believe someone said that it can be lanky. Check under my post about Leela, and I think you will find that info there. I did measure my tree, and including the root stock, the tree is just barely over 3ft tall. This is also where it produced it's first 2 tips. I just wish it could have branched out at 2ft, or even 2 and a half feet, but I could prune her back in the future if space becomes an issue. What I should have said was "when space becomes an issue" because it is inevitable that it will. Mona, in my honest opinion this tree really does deserve to be an exception " I don't want lanky plumeria because I live in an area that requires me to keep them indoors over the winter." I know if your like me you have to be realistic but this tree is worth it. I promise!

The real bummer for me is that I have a Guillots Sunset in my basement right now with remnants of it's first inflo but I just didn't have the space for it under my light:( I also have a very nice Thai Super Round that has a new inflo on it and amazingly to me, the buds continue to grow! So tomorrow, I am going to try and do some rearranging so I can find a way to try and fit both G.Sunset and T.S.R. under the light so I can also enjoy them both.

I really think it's so strange how I am getting all these blooms now with it being winter! I am quickly on a roll here and if things continue this way Mona, I will have more plumeria blooming over the winter than I did all summmer!

Well it is almost 4am here and I have to get to sleep if I can. With this darn absessed tooth, and sinus infection it isn't always easy but if I don't try, I will regret it tomorrow. Thanks again for all your support and please don't think I was blowing you off in regards to Psycho. It's here with your name on it!

Take care,
Andrew

Hi ANdew!!!

I am so sorry to hear the loss of the Black Tiger.. That really does hurt you more than me.. In a few years, i can cut again... but you might have to wait!!! No worries tho!!! I feel the samw way when a good friend sent me a small tree that was tring to root, well it never did and i was truly bummed this was a Seff. So, it does happen and don't worry about those small things.

You get better and healthy so you can have your surgery!!!

Thank you for the kind comments about talking to me like your MOM...awww. that was so nice!!! Made me feel good! Now i have two more sons!!! You and J, ;-) You guys are wonderful. You know how much i think of you too!

All will be fine.. don't worry, bout a thing, cuz every little things..going to be alright...love Marley!!!

YOU take care and have a great holiday.. i need to start baking, but i have a cold and dont feel like it, but i will start tomorrow or the next.. i am trying to fight this... so off to bed i go!! Go figure.. work all of the time and stay healthy.. then i have vacation and get sick? What? LOL...

Night all..

Laura

PS Purdee.. if you are looking.. im working on your mix and ill be sending it this week!!! Mahalo!!!

so exciting when the amaryllis bloom isn't it? One of my other addictions. This year I have kept it in control and only bought about 15. Luckily, I guess, I missed to coop lol! Last year one of the generic Apple Blossoms turned out to be this gorgeous light pink double bloom that is awesome. It's planted in the front flower bed right now. All mine end up in the garden.

Our weather has been up and down, the plumeria remain outside, some with not a leaf on them, some in bloom, some appearing they did not notice it's winter. I only have to worry about space if a really bad freeze is predicated-luckily that's about every 15-20 years and to kill a full grown plumeria in the ground even less frequently.

I am so sorry about your mother. I just can not fathom the way some people treat their children. She should be ashamed of herself! You are a very kind, wonderful person who anyone would be proud to call their son.
We really lucked out in the mom dept. She would help us bury bodies, even if she is in her 70's with one arm. Heck, when my ex threatened me she told me, don't worry, I have a gun, I'll shoot him first!

On the plus side you made up for it with that great partner of yours who sounds absolutely delightful.

Have a great holiday! I feel your pain, went to the dentist last week. I can finally almost chew and I can talk now. I don't think I have ever gone 3 days without saying a word in my life!

Good luck and have a speedy recovery!
Tally HO!

Thanks Laura. I'm always looking in...lol. The most important thing right now is your health! Take your time with the mix. I truly believe you to be a woman of your word. I hope you feel better....Manuel

Hi Laura,
Thanks for all the kind words. Laura, I am not worried about you sending me another. I have so many going right now, and so many that are still struggling to form roots. I even have what...6 or 7 all ready coming this spring! I must be crazy to be doing this!! Off the top of my head I know I have 2 coming from Wendy, 2 coming from another guy here, and one from Florida Colors! I know I am forgetting a few.

My mom can have her moments but I just remind myself she is getting older and I try to excuse her moodiness.

Hi Tally,
WOW 15 amaryllis! I just don't have the room, all though once there done blooming, back to the basment they go till they can move outdoors for the spring. I love Aphrodite and Show Master. Both are appropriate names for them.

I am feeling a little better but I am so exhausted all the time I don't get it. I am up for 7 or 8 hours and then sleeping for the remainder of the day. I need to get this darn tooth pulled. I am going to see if I can get in after Christmas. I am hoping I can get it done.

Happy Holidays Everyone, and Laura I hope you get to feeling better. Colds suck! Then again being sick with anything is no fun. Get your rest! I know you like to go, go, go but your not going to get any better!

Andrew