My plumeria plant bloomed this year and I am loving the beautiful, fragrant flowers. It never bloomed last year. I believe it is because I did not water it enough. This year we have had so much rain here in the Houston area, that many of my plants are happier than usual.

I have not had an easy time with plumeria. The first one I bought died because I did not protect it from the cold. I bought another plant the next summer. After some research I learned that it must be brought inside when temperatures fall below 40 degrees. So that winter, as soon as the temperatures dipped, I moved my potted plant into the garage. It lost its leaves, but survived.

I brought it back out in the spring and watched it green back up, to my relief. But it never bloomed that summer. So last winter, it went into the garage again. This spring I brought it back out and watched it green up again. Then it rained and rained and rained. Now my plumeria is blooming and I am thrilled to get to enjoy its beauty once again.

I found out some very interesting facts about plumeria while preparing to write this blog. Plumeria Rubra is also known as the Common Franginpani.  It is related to the oleander and also contains a poisonous sap. The flower is often used in Hawaiian leis. Also this wonderful tidbit thanks to Plumeria.Care: Plumeria flowers are most fragrant at night in order to attract sphinx moths. The moths are lured by the fragrance, thinking they will get some nectar. However plumeria flowers have no nectar, but they are pollinated by the moths as they fruitlessly search for the nectar. Sneaky!

Mostly what I have learned is that Plumeria likes a lot of water, and that I should be fertilizing it more frequently. So maybe I’ve just been really lucky this year, but now I know what to do in future years to ensure production of these gorgeous fragrant blooms.