Love the look of obtusa. I've heard it can be finicky and needs warm temps, especially in spring.

Obtusa is just prone to black tip. Only thing that improves the chances to get past springtime without black tip is to leave it in the greenhouse until May. Even then it's hit or miss. You will eventually get tired of the branching from black tip and do what I did last month and lop off all that gnarly growth. Guess what it did then... started growing out and then black tipped....in AUGUST, in South TEXAS.

I like the Pudica look as well. Unique upright growth and different leaves. I'll take a Pudica any day over the Obtusa I have. my specimen is an ongoing joke gifted from Jandey many years ago. It could just be a Sport specimen.

Obtusa black tipping new growth

Backyard and spring 2017 · More Info

A two year old Pudica in bloom.

Backyard and spring 2017 · More Info

Great. I haven't seen any flowers on mine...but it had bad rot in our wet cold winter. I noticed that after it re grew,then black tip stepped in.

Funny,but my first two years with it were perfect. Grew a lot,took our cool winters,no problems at all. This year has been herky jerky in what has been a much warmer then average summer. 82f today even.

Looks amazing Tony!

Gorgeous, Tony!!!!

Here are my pink one and pudica that I got last year, grew more than 3 feet this year and finally flower last weekend.

I've got a dwarf pink Obtusa also, hopefully it'll bloom first time for me in 2018...I heard they've got a great scent too.

My Obtusa is very sensitive to the cold weather, I almost lost entire plant with fresh eating rot, I have to cut branches with rots few years ago. Since then I have to bring in during winter season and flower keep blooming thru next year. Great house plant for sure.

I cannot scent the flower but maybe my nose is not good.....

I might put it on the porch. At the very least its frost protected,rains too. I wish I had went with the few more dollars and gotten the dwarf Singapore types.

Kawagoe-Are you the one with the Celadine in the ground? How's it doing after last winter?

Our SingaporeWhite (Obtusa) stay evergreen and flower all year outside and trees become very large. Has to be a faithful favourite of mine.

Stanoph,

Yes, I do have one of Celadine is in the ground. It has been 3 maybe 4 years in the ground. further away from the wall branch get black tips but it is not too bad. I do cover it up with blanket and turf during the winter time. This year, I am planning to use pipe insulation for the tips.

Toshi

S.O. Blooms against the deep green leaves are great to look at and have a wonderful fragrance. While I still have a S. O. hanging out in the trouble section of my grove I have replaced it in the line up with a Dwarf Deciduous White. Which blooms much the same (if not slightly larger flowers), similar scent, and while not as deep green has a comparable leaf, and compact growth habits.

Dwarf Singapore Pink is a great cultivar to have. If you see an opportunity to buy one...take it.

I agree, DSP is heavy bloomer and smell heavenly :)

Newer photo. I wish I had those old branches ,but count my blessings kind of thing it didnt all just collapse after the cool and our wettest winter ever.

Stan,

Styrofoam cups are good idea. but where can I get one now?

Question,
Why my Dwarf Singapore Pink does not have a fragrance? I think I got
this one from Orchard Hardware Store in Palo Alto 4 to 5 years ago and label was
from CStar nursery. I have tried to root cutting from this but not successfull. After this week's heat wave, I will bring this one inside the house not in my greenhouse (portable car port) on back yard.

Also, Pudia, how cold this one can take it? treat like normal Plumeria? Last year, I place inside the house but there is no more room because it grew so big this summer.....

Thanks,

Toshi

Toshi,

DSP's scent is not very strong per flower...IMO...but when you have an established DSP blooming on many tips at once it is magnified. Also I have noticed the time of day makes a difference. Evening hours and early morning to me have a stronger fragrance.

I would continue to treat Pudica like all the rest. In some instances where I could not bring in a plant I wrapped it with Incandescent Christmas lights (small pin style as the larger ones may burn the plant) and then covered it with old sheets. If rain was expected I then covered that with painters plastic using clothes pins to secure it. The pin lights generated enough heat to stay above ambient outside temps and the sheet created a thermal break between the plant and the cold plastic. The only issue may be weight of the sheet and plastic. This worked just fine when fronts would come through and low temps went below 30 for short periods of time and then would soon warm back up into the 60s during the day and low 40s at night.

The same kind as they have at supermarkets. Dollar Store.

Besides what Km said,young plants flowers dont seem to have the punch as from older plants. Thats in general.

That's great you got pudica to flower. I've come close to ordering one over the last few years- some say its hardier then other Plumeria,some say its MORE cold sensitive. But if you got 3' of Plumeria to grow in one summer,thats amazing. 6-8" a year is best I've seen in potted Plumeria rubra or obtusum.

I think my DSP is quite established. Thats why it has nice scent. This one is about 10 years old. I started it from a cutting. It has been growimg so fast and been a heavy bloomer.

You could plant that in ground Boom. I've seen photos of them shrub sized in soucal and Yuma AZ. Funny,I spotted one in a home done in the Bali style fronting a home Chery Tiegs was selling in soucal. There they were ,flanking a walkway and 3-4' tall,solid foliage and a flowers her and there.

I have one in the ground also. It doesn't take heat very well. As the matter of the fact, none of my plants does well in the ground. I posted this DSP on this board last year because I had some problems with too much heat, sunlight and lack of nutrients. Lesson learned! It is doing better this year though. At least one branch of it pushed out flowers.

This is the one in the ground.

Hmmm. I think my sense of smell is not good as before. Here is a picture of my DSP and Pudica side by side. Both plants are still blooming.

It is start of fall here in bay area. All these falling leafs....

wow- that looks great. How do you keep them in winter? Santa Clara has soucal summers..warm and balmy. I heard there are some large Majesty palms in town.

Boom- I've seen the normal sized P.obtusum tree sized in Yuma photos. So,heat is not a problem at all. Its probably a water need.

Lesson learn from first winter. DSP cannot take the cold temperature as other normal plumeria that I stored inside the greenhouse (not heated). Fresh eating rot killed one of the DSP plant and one survived one, I have to cut off almost all the branches down to bottom two. Since then, I keep this one inside the house. Flower keep blooming during winter and next spring. I have bring in last weekend. The cold front is coming our way this week.....

Sorry to read that. I have not experienced any similar issues over wintering DSP's. Only thing i have noticed is how ugly the leaves get around January.

Flowers in the house!

You would think Pudica would be hardier- its a south Florida native. So,it has to have survived a freeze every century or so. Adds up over thousands of years.

Its getting time to move my P.obtusa. Staying in shade where the summer is all sun and hot there. Low winter sun cuts all that off.

I get P.rubra to flower every year..I might be too cool in summer for P.obtusa. We will see. Last winter was a moldy wet and full of rot winter.

90 degree in socal today, I moved the DSP to get more sunlight a week ago. It has stronger fragrance and darker color. Happy Thanksgiving to all!