Plumeria (frangipani) Singapore blooms

The Singapore plumeria I bought a couple of years ago was in pretty bad shape this Spring. The leaves were covered with scale insects despite my treatment with systemic insecticide which I hated to use.

When the warm weather arrived I put it out on the deck thinking it needed full sun. It dropped most of its leaves but sprouted new ones. However the new leaves were stunted, mishappened and the stems were also shriveled. I pretty much thought it was in major decline and was thinking about chucking it when my wife watered it despite my warning not to do so because I read that rot was the main cause of plumeria dying.

Well, water was exactly what it needed. I originally planted it in very loose good quality potting soil with a 2" gravel topping. I guess the planting mixture has good enough drainage so watering everyday during the growing season does not lead to rot. The plant is now thriving with many new shoots and leaves and has even bloomed again. Curious though that the flowers which are known for fragrance used in Hawaiian leis have almost none only to be noticed when the nose is almost in the flower.

I'm glad my wife usually ignores what I say.