The Handbook on Plumeria

Introduction

ON THE SIGNIFICANCE OF FLOWERS

The study of plants and flowers is twofold; a gradual and progressive inner awakening to their spiritual nature and their messages, and the day to day physical work that teaches us through beauty, the discipline of understanding their needs and assisting them in manifesting their ultimate perfection. As we turn more and more within, we may also awaken to our own inner nature and allow it to flower. A scientific discipline is essential in working with physical matter, as is the aspiration to go deeper within and contact the force behind the form and finally, to truly love and eventually enter into a pyschic contact with the splendor of this divine creation.

We hear daily of wondrous experiences with plants. We all know someone with a "green thumb" who, in answer to how they grow plants of unearthly beauty would simply say that they talk to their plants and love them. Or perhaps we have read the research of authors such as Peter Tompkins and Christopher Bird whose book, The Secret Life of Plants, is "... a fascinating account of the physical, emotional and spiritual relations between plants and man." Then, too, there are the the organic gardeners, the true children of the soil, whose work vibrates with an appreciation for the unity of all life as exemplified in the gardens of Findhorn and Auroville.

In all the literature we have found on the significance and symbolism of flowers, none speaks with the force of Flowers and Their Messages, a collection and description of the significances of hundreds of flowers as perceived by The Mother of the Sri Aurobindo Ashram and founder of Auroville in India. It is a lifelong work that guides us into the inner world of nature to reveal a luminous creation of which we are only on the threshold. We quote some words of The Mother on love and aspiration in plants:

The movement of love is not limited to human beings and it is perhaps less distorted in worlds other than the human world. Look at the flowers and trees. When the sun sets and all becomes silent, sit down for a moment and put yourself into communion with Nature. You will feel, rising from the earth, from below the roots of the trees and mounting upward and coursing through their fibres, up to the highest outstretching branches, the aspiration of an intense love and longing — a longing for something that brings light and gives happiness, for the light that is gone

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and they wish to have back again. There is a yearning so pure and intense that if you can feel the movement in the trees, your own being too will go up in an ardent prayer for the peace and light and love that are unmanifested here.

Have you ever watched a forest with all its countless trees and plants struggling to catch the light — twisting and trying in a hundred ways to be in the sun? That is precisely the feeling of aspiration in the physical — the urge, the movement, the push towards the light. Plants have more of it in their physical being than man. Their whole life is a worship of light. Light is of course the material symbol of the Divine, and the sun represents, under material conditions, the supreme Consciousness. The plants feel it quite distinctly in their own simple, blind way. Their aspiration is intense if you know how to become aware of it.

As soon as there is organic life, the vital element is there, and it is this vital element that gives to flowers the sense of beauty. It is not perhaps individualised in the sense we understand it, but it is a sense of the species and the species always tries to realise it. I have noticed a first elementary psychic vibration in plant life, and truly the blossoming of a flower is the first sign of the psychic presence. The psychic individualises itself only in man, but it existed before him; only it is not the same kind of individualisation, it is more fluid and manifests as force or as consciousness rather than as individuality. Take the rose, for example, its great perfection of form, colour and smell expresses an aspiration and is a psychic gift. Look at a rose opening in the morning with the first contact of the sun — it is a magnificent self-giving aspiration!

Since flowers are the manifestation of the psychic in the vegetal kingdom, love of flowers would mean that one is drawn by the psychic vibration and consequently by the psychic in one's own self. When you are receptive to the psychic vibration, that puts you in a more intimate contact with the psychic in your own self. Perhaps the beauty of flowers too is a means used by Nature to awaken in human beings the attraction for the psychic.

The significance given to the plumeria by The Mother is 'Psychological Perfection'. She has written, "There is not one psychological perfection but five, like the five pet- als of this flower. We have said they are: sincerity, faith, devotion, aspiration and surrender."

With this beginning, we enter into a world of loveliness and fascination, the world of the plumeria, the Frangipani or Lei flower; to discover the keys to its culture and flowering, to be uplifted by its beauty.

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PLUMERIAS AND THE APOCYNACEAE FAMILY

The plumeria has truly become the flower of the decade. As people travel more and visit tropical areas of the world, they cannot help but be enchanted by the beauty of this unique and exotic plant. The plumeria is a member of the Apocynaceae, a family which includes many horticultural treasures. Among these are the Oleanders and Periwinkles, Allamandas and Mandevillas, the Star Jasmine (Trachelospermum) and others too numerous to mention. Many are delightfully scented as well, though none with the many fragrances of the plumeria. The name, Apocynaceae, was given by A.L. de Jussieu in 1789. There are 200 genera and at least 2000 species in this Dogbane family which is widespread in tropical and sub-tropical regions and is characterized by almost all of its members having a milky white latex, entire leaves, the five lobes of the corolla convoluted and twisted in the bud, and seeds with a large straight embryo, often comose.

To many the plumeria still remains a mysterious exotic with a strange sounding name. Unlike roses, bulbs, orchids, cacti and other plant groups, very little has been written on its history or culture. We have been growing plumerias for more than twenty years, both here in the U.S. and in the tropics, and have seen the popularity of the plumeria increase dramatically in recent years. For most plumeria enthusiasts who have seen large trees in full bloom in the tropics without any care whatsoever, the problem in temperate and sub-tropical areas is not so much in growing the plant as getting it to flower and then preserving it over long, cold winters.

To help make growing plumerias as easy and successful as possible for everyone, we have written this second, expanded edition of our Handbook on Plumeria Culture, combining our experiences with those of plumeria growers throughout the world who have shared with us the colorful and fragrant rewards of their labors.

FAMILY MEMBERS

(see photos on pages 62 and 63)

The following plants are all in the same family as plumerias and make delightful and colorful companions.

Adenium obesum (Desert Rose) — This genus contains about four species native to tropical Africa, the most well-known being the Desert Rose. One of the true stars of the Apocynaceae family, this slow growing plant is execellent for bonsai culture and even when young will produce magnificent, rich rose-red blooms set against dark green leaves. Adenium obesum is very drought resistant and requires minumum watering since moisture is stored in its swollen trunk.

Allamanda — A family of approximately 12 species, all native to tropical America. 1 he showy flowers range from yellow to purple and are borne in profusion over a long blooming season. Many new cultivars in striking shades of cream and rose-purP1e  have been introduced in the past few years. Recent intoductions have also included exceptionally dwarf forms that bear full-sized blooms! Plants range from the new dwarf hybrids, erect small shrubs and modest-sized clambering shrubs in the cultivated

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 forms to great lianas in native habitats. Most allamandas perform best in full sun but will bloom in conditions where they receive sun for at least a half day.

Allamanda carthartica — Probably the best known of the allamandas in American gardens. The form pictured here is a A. cathartica var. 'Hendersonii', cornmonly known as 'Brown Bud' Allamanda. Flowers are very large, to 5 inches, and bloom continually from spring to fall.

Allamanda cathartica 'Cherries Jubilee* (aka 'Chocolate Cherry') — The large flowers, (up to 4 inches in diameter), produced by this new cultivar are a delightfu mixture of rose and lavender tones.

Allamanda Williamsii var. 'Stansill's Double' — This first fully double cultivar produces strikingly handsome blooms over many months. It is an excellent container plant and even makes a great ground cover in warm areas.

Carissa — A genus with approximately 35 species of small evergreen shrubs and trees, mostly with spines. Native to the Old World Tropics, the most popular specie' make handsome hedges or ground covers and produce an abundance of fragrant white to pinkish flowers. Some species produce edible pink fruits that make an excel lent jam. Pictured is one of the compact forms of Carissa grandiflora 'Compacta', c low growing ground cover or small hedge plant that flowers freely throughout spring and summer.

Catharanthus — About five species of erect annual or perennial herbs native to the Old World tropics. The most popular form is Catharanthus roseus (Madagascar Periwinkle; Old Maid), native from India to Madagascar. In the past 5 to 10 years plant breeders have created some of the most beautiful hybrids imaginable, with much larger flowers, greater disease resistance, more compact forms and a wealth of new colors.

Mandevilla — All Mandevillas are native to tropical America, especially Argentina, Bolivia, and Brazil. This large genus comprises about 100 species, usually vine; and scandent shrubs.

Mandevilla x amabilis 'Alice du Pont' — A regal, magnificent, small and floriferous vine with large, bright pink flowers set against dark green leaves. An excel lent plant for containers.

Mandevilla boliviensis 'White Dipladenia' — A species recently introduced to the U.S. in 1993 that flowers even in small 4 inch pots. It is a small vine easily grown in containers and producing bloom from early spring into fall.

Nerium oleander — (Common Oleander; Rose Bay) — Native from the Mediterranean region to Japan, this is a large and colorful genus with hundreds of cultivar; ranging from white to cream, pink, red, salmon, yellow, apricot, lilac, purple, car mine, copper and even orange! There are basically three flower types; single, semi double (hose in hose), and fully double with many possessed of a sweet frangrance Forms with variegated leaves are not uncommon as well as new cultivars with richly variegated flowers.

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Nerium oleander 'Mrs. George Roeding' — A very lovely oleander with large semi-double, sweetly fragrant flowers in soft pastel shades of salmon, orange and cream. Intermediate in height.

Nerium oleander 'Martha Hanna Hensley' — One of the newest and most beautiful cultivars of the '90's, with delicate pink and white variegated flowers borne in large tight clusters and emitting a light delicate fragrance. Plants bloom when very young, flower over many months and can easily be grown in containers.

Nerium oleander 'Mathilde Ferrier' — Soft yellow, fully double flowers adorn this plant which is freeze tolerant in Zone 9. The variety is beautiful when grown as a shrub and makes an excellent hedge or is equally striking pruned as a small multi-branched tree.

Tabernaemontana — A genus of more that 110 species grown primarily for their decorative blooms, usually white, in single, semi-double and fully double forms. Some of the best known are T. divaricata, (syn: T. coronaria) (Crepe Jasmine; Crepe

Gardenia; Pinwheel Flower). This species is native from India to Yunnan and northern Thailand, and is known under many other common names such as East Indian Rosebay, Adam's Apple, Nero's Crown, and Coffee Rose. The glistening white flowers are set against dark glossy green leaves and are nocturnally fragrant. Very easy plants to grow and flower.

Thevetia — (Yellow Oleander) — A tropical American genus with approximately 8 species, the most popular of which is T. peruviana (T. neriifolia). Popular throughout the tropical world for its ease of culture, lack of insect problems and attractive flowers it blooms in three prominent colors, white, orange, and bright yellow, with bright yellow being the most commonly seen.

Trachelospermum — A genus with about 20 species of evergreen vines native from India to Japan. The most popular for its intensely fragrant flowers is Trachelospermum jasminoides (Star Jasmine; Confederate Jasmine), a wonderful vine whose flowers perfume the evening air as few others can. Easily grown and easy to bloom, the Star Jasmine vine is self-clinging and makes an excellent ground cover in warm climates or a fine specimen on a fence or trellis.

Urichites lutea (Yellow Mandevilla) — Another recent introduction of the mid 1990's with glowing yellow trumpet-shaped flowers. This vine of modest growth has glossy green leaves and is easy to grow and flower.

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