When I wed my sweet Irish colleen, Sandra, in Hawaii after a short ten year courtship, it seemed obvious that Sandra would be adorned with Plumeria leis of Hawaiian fame. We were married on the beach, shoes off, beneath a blazing orange sky, with even more Plumeria in full bloom adjacent to the beach. I always remember landing in Honolulu, the airport filled with people assembling these flower leis of impressive colors and varying fragrances. The hotel we stayed at in Maui, had a member of staff dedicated to sweeping up all the fallen blooms of Plumeria from the pool area, and the properties pathways. We marveled at the sheer abundance of these gorgeous flowers growing everywhere throughout the islands. Back then, we were living in Boston, and I often envied people living in the tropics who could grow Plumeria at will, in their gardens. Well here we are in Naples, and are just blessed to be surrounded by such wonderful flowers.

Plumeria, commonly referred to as frangipani is native to the tropics of the Caribbean, C. America and Venezuela, but now have far reaching homes in Hawaii, and many other tropical regions. Their fragrance is unmistakable. Their range in color is equally impressive, the delicate flowers born in white, yellow, pink, red and combinations of the same called rainbows. However, it's one of the easiest plants to grow. In fact, it's possible to cut a stem from a tree and literally stick it into the ground. It will happily take root on its own, soon to become another Plumeria tree. In Ireland we do a similar thing with Willow. There is even an art form of creating intricate woven fences from live Willow stems, which eventually take root and become the most unique hedge you've ever seen.

The Gardens have recently signed an agreement with the Plumeria Society of America to host about 350 different cultivars of the popular Plumeria. The Plumeria Collection will be among the most comprehensive in the world. What's even better, is that you can get involved to be part of this great legacy, by participating in the world's first public registered Plumeria collection. For details on how to participate please visit the Society's website and to learn more about these great flowering plants www.theplumeriasociety.org

Here's a brief of how you can become part of this collection. You can donate a "registered" Plumeria to the Plumeria Society of America (PSA), and have your name on the botanical label or sign which accompanies each plant. The society will provide a plaque such as this, for each plant. Naples Botanical Gardens have already got about 85 different cultivars, and the collection is growing, managed by Carolyn Miller, curator of collections. If you wish to contact Carolyn about getting involved, she'll welcome your emails at cmiller@naplesgarden.org

See you in the gardens.

Brendan

Credits
Brendan Moran the garden artist, of Gardens By Brendan designs gardens, writes and lectures here in SWFL, the U.S and internationally, and lives here in Naples.