Q & A 

There are several options for delivery / collection, as well as visiting us in Matakana, 60 minutes north of Auckland CBD & 12 minutes from the end of the Northern motorway: 

We can take your frangipani to a MARKET of your choice that we are attending and you can collect from there. Have a look at our home page to see the Markets we are attending in Spring and Summer. 

NZ COURIER POST to anywhere in New Zealand from $20-70 depending where in New Zealand. This is for 40cm frangipanis, height is from the top of the soil. We are working on packaging options for 50cm frangipanis. 

We can arrange delivery (at no charge) to a commercial business in TAKANINI, and your frangipani can be collected from there during business hours, week days.

There are several points in NORTHLAND – Kerikeri, Kaitaia & more, that we can arrange delivery to,  once a month at a $50 fee. 

Likewise delivery to the COROMANDEL once a month , please request a quote.

We (Matakana Frangipani) can deliver to AUCKLAND & surrounding area’s and for further afield, we can arrange delivery to most of the NORTH ISLAND and parts of the SOUTH ISLAND with a specialist Plant freight company Rockeater . Just get in touch to confirm the delivery costs and if there are freight options available to your area. 

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.   

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.    

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.  

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.  

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). 

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.

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. 

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.   

Growing from cuttings means we can guarantee the colour of the flowers, and know when they will flower. Growing from seeds on average takes 3-7 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. We have seed grown plants, but we only take cuttings once they have flowered. With a seed grown plant the colour will be a surprise & it’s sometime a fantastic one.     

See above. FYI –  Seed grown plants are what some garden centre/nurseries sell or have sold previously. 

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.

Useful West Coast Stoneware flower rings

Please email us info@matakanafrangipani.nz

A useful facebook group – Frangipani Growers New Zealand