Q & A

All our Frangipani plants come with a 3 page growing information sheet, plus ongoing access to us for any queries.

What are inflo's, growing heads, tips ?

Growing heads or tips are the ends of the branches, the more growing heads/ tips there are, the more potential for flowers. Inflorescence (flower inflo) are the start of flowers.

I want flowers this summer ?

Our frangipanis are all grown from cuttings from trees that have flowered, so your frangipani should flower this summer. But the only way to guarantee flowers, is when there is an inflorescence (flower inflo). This can happen anytime from Oct-Apr. Look for them when choosing your frangipani.

How tall do they grow ?

In New Zealand approximately 10-20cm a year for outdoors, but this is largely dependant on the conditions. Most varieties in NZ lose their leaves in winter, and are a lot slower growing than in the Pacific. So don’t wait for years to get the size you want, buy it now.

Where to plant ?

They are a tropical plant so can cope with a lot, these are suggested ideal conditions only. Ideal conditions are – north facing, direct sunlight 6-8 hours a day, sheltered, free draining soil (not clay), their back to a fence or wall, as this heats up during the day and acts like a heater for them overnight. A raised bed or pot can be a great option if you don’t have free draining soil.

Frangipanis are fine indoors as long as they have access to direct sunlight 6-8 hours a day during summer. One Auckland based friend has kept hers inside her house beside the ranch slider door and it flowered through till August.

What they don't like:

Frosts – Cover the plants or if in a pot bring inside, or away from frost areas. Frangipanis are grown successfully in the South Island by being brought inside the house or garage in winter. Older frangipanis have been known to survive frosts, but generally not young plants.

Too much wind – you will lose the flowers, leaves or even branches, so take this into account when choosing a spot for your frangipani. Established older frangipanis generally will do fine, rather than a younger plant, eg I would recommend our large size at 80-90cm from the top of the soil (or landscape size) and they are several years old.

Wet feet can cause roots to rot – Don’t overwater (they can survive drought conditions) & make sure soil is free draining (not clay).

Pots

Look for a wide shallow pot, as they have a small shallow root system. Depth 40-50cm depending on your frangipani height. Width minimum – Mid size (60-70cm plant height from top of the soil) 35-40cm & 50cm for landscape size. Don’t use a pot too wide or too tall as the soil will remain moist and cause wet feet. In a pot too large, an option is to plant in a smaller plastic pot and put this inside your larger pot and cover with soil. The pot needs to have hole/holes at the base for a drainage, don’t use a pot saucer (as this will cause wet feet).
Ideally the pot is lifted off the ground for easy drainage eg pot feet.
The frangipani will need to be repotted as the plant grows, to enable it to keep growing in size.

Garden or Pot ?

There are pro’s & cons of both. A pot can be moved around in winter to bring inside or under cover when there is a lot of rain, frost or wind. But in the garden you can leave & forget, but there is more of a risk of wet feet (root rot), especially if you don’t have free draining soil.

Watering ?

When they are still in their planter bag you have brought them in, every second day (depending on the time of year).
When they begin to lose their leaves start tailing off watering.
Start watering when new growth appears (Sep-Nov), allow top of soil (finger test) to completely dry out before doing a deep watering again. If the soil is damp they don’t need it.

Why do you grow from cuttings that have flowered, rather than seeds ?

Growing from cuttings means we can guarantee the colour of the flowers, and know when they will flower. Growing from seeds there is a minimum of 2-3 years before the plant will flower, but it can also be substantially longer. We have heard of up to 10 years & worst case scenario never.

My plant has never flowered ?

See above. FYI – Seed grown plants are what many major NZ chain garden centre/nurseries sell or have sold previously.

What is a Noid ( No id) ?

It simply means the plant (or in our case mother plant) has been grown from a seed and we are the first to name it. Frangipani grown from seed do not flower the same as their parent plants, so new flower varieties are produced “invented’. Any frangipani with TS in front of it is a Noid. This in no way affects the growing of the frangipani.