• Home
  • About Me
  • Plant Questions & Answers
  • Get Yard Help
  • Newsletter Archive
  • Contact

Yard Doc Carol

How to prune Bridal Bouquet Plumeria

October 24, 2022 By Carol Cloud Bailey Leave a Comment

24 Oct

Q:  I got a cutting of Bridal Bouquet Plumeria while in Key West last year. It is rooted in a pot, and the branch is about four feet tall. Should I cut it off at the top to make it branch out? The other cutting was planted in the ground, and it branched out this summer and is blooming. I need to keep the other one in a pot for a while. Can you tell me how to prune Bridal Bouquet Plumeria?

Pat

Via email

Bridal Bouquet Plumeria
Bridal Bouquet Frangipani (Plumeria pudica), with its lovely blooms and vase-shaped outline, is a good choice for warm-weather landscapes. It is moderate to fast-growing, small in stature, tolerant of harsh conditions, and easy to grow. Bridal Bouquet Frangipani produces masses of white blooms at the tips of the branches for most of the year.

A: Pretty Plumeria pudica, also known as Bridal Bouquet or Bridal Veil Frangipani, is a small tree or large shrub. It is in the Apocynaceae family, and when Frangipani branches or leaves are cut or broken, they exude sticky milky sap. P. pudica has slender branches that are held upright. This small tree or large shrub tends to branch close to the ground giving the tree a vase or umbrella shape. Pruning can help shape and protect Bridal Bouquet Plumeria.

There are several reasons to prune a plant. The main reasons are maintaining or enhancing plant health, developing or maintaining a robust plant structure, increasing flower and fruit production, and managing plant size. All of these facts are true of Plumeria. However beneficial pruning can be, it still produces a wound on the plant. The best advice is to plan the pruning of young trees and shrubs and keep the cuts to a minimum.

Bridal Bouquet Plumeria is semi-deciduous or evergreen. It blooms during the warm weather and slowly tapers off in the dry, cool fall and winter. The best time to prune this plant is just before growth starts and the change of frosty weather is past.

Pruning cuts should be made at the nodes on the branches with sharp blades. If there are any damaged, diseased, or cross and rubbing branches, remove these first. The subsequent cuts, if needed, are made to control the size and direction of growth. The natural upright shape of P. pudica has less branching than the familiar Frangipani. Cutting the upright branches will cause other limbs to appear, but they will grow upright too.

I suspect Pat’s containerized cutting has yet to branch and bloom due to a reduced and restricted root system. Repotting the cutting into a larger pot will be beneficial to the plant. It will grow and eventually branch and flower on its own with enough root space. Also, it will be easier to maintain the plant in a large pot until the planting area is ready.

Pruning and propagation of Plumeria go hand-in-hand. Save any healthy branches cut. Let the cut ends harden and form a callus, dip them in rooting hormone, and plant them in sterile potting soil. Place the cuttings in the shade and keep the soil moist; roots will form on the branch.

This column first appeared in the Treasure Coast Newspapers.

Filed Under: Plant Questions & Answers Tagged With: Florida gardening, Florida landscapes, Florida Trees, frangipani, pruning tropicals, South Florida Landscape, Tropical Plants, white flowers

Previous Post: « Veggie season approaches – plant cilantro
Next Post: Something wickedly stinky in garden »

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

Follow me!

Recent Posts

  • Selecting plants for a western exposure
  • Begone Lizard! Let’s clean up around here
  • How and where to buy plants
  • A little help for winter veggie gardeners
  • Arbor Day, it’s time to plant trees

Recent Comments

  • John on Plant and prune trees right for best results during hurricane season
  • Carol Cloud Bailey on Plant and prune trees right for best results during hurricane season
  • Katherine on Plant and prune trees right for best results during hurricane season
  • Katherine Booth on Plant and prune trees right for best results during hurricane season
  • BusinessIdeasUK on Pro-Tips for the Landscape in April

Monthly Gardening Tips & Garden Articles Archives

Monthly Newsletter – Florida Landscaping Tips

Subscribe

* indicates required

Categories

  • Newsletter Archives (7)
  • Plant Questions & Answers (89)
  • Uncategorized (5)

Monthly Newsletter – Florida Landscaping Tips

Subscribe

* indicates required

Connect With Me!

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Twitter

Customer Service

  • Online Plant Help

Quick Links

  • Home
  • Contact

Learn More

  • Newsletter Archive
  • Plant Questions & Answers

Copyright © 2023 · Sitemap · Privacy Policy

We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies.
Do not sell my personal information.
Cookie SettingsAccept
Manage consent

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
CookieDurationDescription
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional11 monthsThe cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-others11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
viewed_cookie_policy11 monthsThe cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
Functional
Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
Performance
Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
Analytics
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
Advertisement
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
Others
Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet.
SAVE & ACCEPT