Bridal bouquet frangipani

Sun

Full sun for the best flowering; tolerates light partial shade with fewer flowers.

Water

Water deeply during active growth, then let the soil partly dry before watering again. Keep much drier in cool weather, especially if leaves fall.

Soil

Very freely drained sandy or loamy soil; use a gritty container mix and a pot with unobstructed drainage holes.

Height

6-15 ft (1.8-4.6 m)

Spread

6-10 ft (1.8-3 m)

Flowers

Clusters of white flowers with yellow centres from late spring through autumn; flowering can continue for much of the year in consistently warm climates.

Foliage

Evergreen. Glossy dark-green leaves with narrow bases and broad, spoon-shaped tips; retained in tropical warmth but sometimes shed during cool or dry weather.

Growth

Moderate to fast in warm weather; little growth in cool conditions.

Care needed

Low

• Drought tolerant
• Heat tolerant
• Low allergen

Northern hemisphere months. In Australia, shift them by six.

Difficulty

Moderate

Toughness

Fairly tough

Pick your zone, country, light and whether you have pets.

1. Planting day

   7 ft (2 m)

2. After 1 year

   7 ft (2.1 m)

3. After 2 years

   7 ft (2.2 m)

4. After 3 years

   7 ft (2.2 m)

5. After 5 years

   8 ft (2.4 m)

About 16 years to full size.

From a typical nursery size, at an average rate for this kind of plant. A rule of thumb, not a forecast.

Cats and dogs

Toxic

Growth rate

Fast

• Plant in a sunny, sheltered position after cold weather has passed.
• Water at soil level and allow partial drying between waterings; never leave the pot standing in water.
• Apply a balanced fertiliser at the label rate during spring and summer; stop feeding when growth slows.
• Keep mulch away from the trunk and avoid planting in low spots where water collects.
• Move container plants into bright, frost-free shelter before cold nights arrive, and reduce watering.

Pruning. Prune lightly in spring as active growth resumes, removing dead wood and shortening selected branches to encourage branching. Avoid routine hard pruning, which delays flowering, and wear gloves to keep the milky sap off your skin.

Early spring

Check for dead or damaged branches and prune lightly as new growth begins.

Spring

Repot crowded container plants into a slightly larger pot with a freely draining mix.

Late spring

Move sheltered plants outdoors once nights are reliably warm, introducing direct sun gradually.

Summer

Water when the soil has partly dried and feed while the plant is actively growing.

Early autumn

Check leaf undersides for mites, scale and mealybugs before bringing pots under cover.

Late autumn

Move container plants to frost-free shelter in cooler regions and reduce watering.

Winter

Keep sheltered plants in strong light and water sparingly, especially if they have lost their leaves.

• Use as a small flowering specimen in a sunny, sheltered courtyard.
• Grow in a large container beside a terrace, allowing room for its branching crown.
• Combine with agaves and aloes in a well-drained tropical planting for contrasting leaf shapes.
• Plant against a dark evergreen background to make the white flowers stand out.
• Use in a warm-climate white garden where its flowers remain conspicuous into the evening.

Garden styles it suits: Modern tropical, Tropical, Luxury resort, Modern courtyard, White garden and Architectural minimal.

Plant it with: Foxtail agave, Aloe vera, Bird of paradise, Society garlic and Dwarf mondo grass.

Wildlife: Flowers may be visited by moths and other insects, but this is not a dependable nectar plant. Do not rely on it as the main food source in a pollinator planting.

• Root or stem rot in cold, wet soil: improve drainage, reduce watering and remove soft, rotting tissue; take healthy cuttings if the base is failing.
• Scale insects or mealybugs: inspect stems and leaf undersides, remove small infestations by hand and use an insecticidal soap labelled for ornamental plants if needed.
• Spider mites in hot, dry or indoor conditions: rinse leaf undersides regularly and treat persistent infestations with a labelled insecticidal soap.
• Cold damage or winter leaf drop: move pots into frost-free shelter, keep the roots relatively dry and wait until spring growth reveals which branches are dead.

The milky sap can irritate skin and eyes, and swallowed plant material can cause mouth irritation, vomiting or diarrhoea in people, cats and dogs. Keep all parts away from children and pets; serious poisoning is uncommon, but seek advice after ingestion or eye exposure. Horse-specific toxicity information is limited, so keep it out of grazing areas.

• Red frangipani (Plumeria rubra)

  Has longer, broadly oval leaves without the distinctive spoon-shaped tips; flowers are often fragrant and may be white, yellow, pink or red. It usually loses its leaves in the cooler or dry season.

• Singapore frangipani (Plumeria obtusa)

  Also has glossy leaves and white flowers, but its leaves are broadly oval with rounded tips rather than narrowly spoon-shaped, and its flowers are usually fragrant.

• White frangipani (Plumeria alba)

  Has long, narrow leaves with conspicuously pale, often hairy undersides and fragrant white flowers, rather than the broad-tipped leaves and usually unscented flowers of bridal bouquet.

Plumeria honours the French botanist Charles Plumier, while bridal bouquet refers to the clustered white flowers.

Propagation. Take healthy stem cuttings during warm weather. Let the cut ends dry and seal for several days, then insert them into a very freely draining propagation mix; keep warm and water sparingly until rooted. Wear gloves when handling the sap.

Accepted botanical name

Plumeria pudica

Native range

Colombia, Panamá, Venezuela and Venezuelan Antilles.

Sources: GBIF (CC BY 4.0) and Trefle (CC BY 4.0). The care and design notes are LandscapeGPT's own.