Frangipani by any other name would be a Plumeria (and still smell as sweet)

This blog is titled Barefoot Plumies. You know the barefoot part, now I'll add the plumies part. One of my hobbies is collecting and growing plumerias (frangipanis). Plumeria enthusiasts often refer to them as plumies and my online moniker is plumies. Ergo, Barefoot Plumies!

I've been growing them (or trying to) since 2002. I have about 25 different varieties, and maybe 30 plants (give or take a few). Some I purchased as plants, others I've rooted from cuttings. I also lost a few (quite a few) due to root rot, frost, and who knows what. Some of those losts were heartbreaking. But I won't dwell on spilt milk. Instead, I'll share some of the few that are blooming right now. I'm lucky these are blooming right now because many of my plants lost their tips to frost this past winter (brrr, remember those awful cold spells?). And since plumerias bloom from the growth tips...well, let's just say I'm happy I even have one bloom this summer.

This one is Guillot Sunset. The buds are just starting to open up and it is a very nice flower. I'll try to get a picture of it when it's fully open.














This is Kimo and it's blooming for the first time (yippee). It's been blooming for over a month now and the flowers are just gorgeous. The scent (to my nose) does not smell as strong as some describe, kind of a citrus smell but it's suppose to be sweet. The blooms get lighter as they age.
















Mardi Gras is one of my favorites as far as smell and colors. The fragrance reminds me of tuttie fruitie. The color of the bloom when it first opens is very rainbow sherbert. Then it fades to white around the edges with the orange/red band in the middle. LOVE this one!














Mary Nicholson is a profuse bloomer and blooms for a very long time! I was actually able to get some seeds from last season and I've got a few seedlings growing right now. It'll be interesting to see if any of them bloom (can take 1-10 years for a seedling to bloom, or never). The fragrance is a nice floral scent.














Pink Pansy is another one of my favorites because of it's beautiful, ruffled petals and it smells nice. On a larger tree, the blooms can be spectacular. This is the second year it's bloomed for me.

















The last one is Singapore. Sorry the picture isn't better; a little washed out because of the sun. This is different from the others since it's a deciduous tree. This is often what you see in the streets of Hawaii. Great frangipani smell. Also a first year bloomer.