In their natural habitat in their indigenous Mexico, Central America, South America, and the Caribbean, Plumeria species are deciduous shrubs or trees with succulent branches and headily fragrant pink, red, white, yellow, orange, or multi-color blossoms.
They grow in areas with warm, humid climates, and are hardy in Zones 9 to 11.
I first saw plumeria, aka frangipani, when I took a trip to Hawaii in my teens, and after one look at the delightful, scented flowers, I knew I had to figure out how to make plumeria a part of my life.
Since I didn’t live anywhere remotely warm enough to cultivate it in the landscape, growing plumeria indoors was the answer.
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Because they grow large and prefer a tropical environment, plumeria plants can be a challenge to keep indoors.
But we aren’t afraid of a challenge, right?
In this guide, we’re going to talk about how to grow plumeria indoors so you can enjoy the tropical vibes without the airfare!
Here’s what I’ll cover:
How to Grow Frangipani Indoors
Before we talk about how to grow plumeria indoors, a word of warning: This genus is a member of the dogbane or Apocynaceae family, and all parts of the plant are toxic.
The stems and foliage exude sap that can be highly irritating to the skin and poisonous if consumed.
If you have small children or curious pets, this may not be an ideal specimen for growing as a houseplant.
Choosing a Container
Depending on the cultivar or hybrid, plumerias can grow pretty large.
There are a wide variety of different types, and you’ll need to be aware of the expected mature size of the plumeria before choosing your container.
Many nurseries and online vendors simply list the plant generically as “plumeria” so be sure to pay attention to the size so you know how large it will eventually grow.
As a rule of thumb, a plumeria that has an expected mature size of five to 10 feet does well in a three- to five-gallon pot, depending on the age of the specimen.
True dwarf types like ‘Dwarf Pink Singapore’ can be grown in a one-gallon container.
Regardless of the size of container you choose, it absolutely must have good drainage.
If you want to use a decorative pot without drainage holes, that’s fine, but put the plant in a container with drainage holes inside of the decorative one and remove the inner pot to a place where it can drain freely when you water.
Good drainage is absolutely essential if you are to be successful with plumeria houseplants.
The material it’s made from doesn’t really matter, either. Terra cotta tends to dry out more quickly than plastic or sealed clay, so keep that in mind.
If you have a habit of overwatering, terra cotta might be a smart choice. If you tend to forget about your plants, maybe plastic is better.
Cultivars to Select
This section would be enormous if we were talking about cultivars to choose for growing out in the landscape.
But inside, the list shrinks, as not all plumeria thrive as houseplants. Some simply grow too large for most interiors, but many just simply don’t do well in the dry, low-light conditions of most homes.
As mentioned, some vendors sell plumeria without a cultivar name, so be sure to check the expected mature size.
Plumeria
For example, this plumeria from Fast Growing Trees has an expected mature height of five to 10 feet tall.
It’s available in one- and three-gallon containers.
The following cultivars, however, will do well inside:
Bridal Bouquet
The snowy white flowers of P. pudica, sometimes called white frangipani or bridal bouquet, have sunny yellow centers and wide petals.
It’s intensely floriferous, so the plant is practically blanketed in blossoms.
The downside is that the flowers aren’t as fragrant as some other varieties. It only grows to about five feet tall, making it ideal for indoor growing.
Dwarf Pink Singapore
‘Dwarf Pink Singapore’ (P. obtusa) is one of the rare true dwarf cultivars.
Maxing out between four and six feet tall, it’s perfectly petite enough to live in your house where you can enjoy the small pale pink flowers.
The flowers have darker pink edges and orange centers.
The blooms have a strong fragrance, so you’ll probably smell it before you see it.
By the way, if you’d like to grow the full-sized ‘Singapore Pink’ or its cousin ‘Singapore Red,’ both do really well indoors. They grow about twice the size of ‘Dwarf Pink Singapore.’
Intense Rainbow
‘Intense Rainbow’ is a P. rubra cultivar that lives up to its name.
While the tree can grow up to 10 feet tall, it will typically stay smaller in a container and has a dense growth habit with tons and tons of pink and yellow flowers in vibrant hues.
Penang Peach
‘Penang Peach’ came to us from the island of Penang in Malaysia, where it was discovered as a naturally occurring variety.
This P. rubra cultivar is extremely popular for making leis in Hawaii thanks to its compact growth and low-growing habit, which makes the flowers easy to pick.
Since it only grows to about eight feet tall, it’s also perfect for indoor cultivation.
True to its name, it has bright peach and apricot-colored flowers with yellow centers.
Thailand Red
P. rubra ‘Thailand Red’ grows between six to 12 feet tall, which means you can keep it quite compact when grown in a container indoors.
From spring to fall, it will be covered in raspberry red blossoms.
Planting
To pot up your plumeria, make sure your chosen container is clean by giving it a good rinse in hot soapy water or wiping it out with a 10 percent bleach and water mixture (one part bleach to nine parts water).
If you’d like to put a screen over the drainage holes, feel free to do so now.
Just know that you will need to check the screen regularly to ensure that it isn’t becoming clogged and preventing water from draining freely.
Plumerias grow best in light, well-draining soil. You can find potting soil formulated for palms or cacti and succulents, and either will work well.
I use Tank’s-Pro Cactus and Succulent Mix which is the perfect combo of pumice, coconut coir, and compost.
Tank’s-Pro Cactus and Succulent Mix
You can pick some up at Arbico Organics in one and a half cubic foot bags.
Remove the plumeria from its growing container and gently loosen up the roots.
Hold the plant in the new pot and determine whether you need to put a layer of soil in the bottom so that the plumeria will be sitting at the same height it was in the existing container.
Place the soil in the base, if necessary, and set the plant in the pot. Fill in around the roots with your potting mix.
Water the soil well and add more potting medium if it settles.
How to Grow
Plumerias grown in less-than-ideal conditions will likely fail to bloom, and since that’s the point of growing frangipani, we want to give the plant what it needs to produce the colorful show.
So, what is ideal? Plumeria needs at least four but preferably six or more hours of sun per day.
If you have an unobstructed south-facing window, you might have enough direct sunlight for your plant.
Otherwise, you can provide supplemental lighting in the form of grow lights to ensure it receives enough sunshine to produce blossoms.
If you want to get really technical, you’ll need about 38 lux for 15 to 16 hours per day to produce flowers. You can read about how to use a light meter in our guide.
Avoid exposing the plumeria to temperatures below 65°F, though it will survive down to 55°F. Similarly, try to keep temperatures below 80°F, but up to 95°F is fine. Luckily, most of us keep our houses somewhere between 65 and 80°F.
Indoors, you will probably need to water less often than you would if the plant was growing outside as it won’t be exposed to drying winds and strong sunshine.
Allow the soil to dry out completely between watering and then soak the soil well. Don’t water on the leaves as this can lead to fungal issues – be sure to water at the soil level.
Humidity should ideally be above 50 percent. Since indoor air tends to be drier than outdoors, consider using a humidifier, grouping your plants, or keeping your specimen in the kitchen or bathroom to raise the humidity around the plant.
In the summer months, you can take your plant outside and care for it as discussed in our guide to growing plumeria, before bringing it back indoors in the winter.
Maintenance
Plumerias need lots of food to grow well and flower abundantly. Since they start blooming in the spring and continue through the fall, they need plenty of energy to keep up the performance.
Start fertilizing in the spring with a fertilizer high in phosphorus, and apply every two weeks.
A product like Down to Earth’s Rose and Flower mix would be ideal.
I like Down to Earth’s products because they come in compostable boxes and use natural ingredients like fish bone meal, blood meal, alfalfa meal, and kelp meal.
Down to Earth Rose and Flower Mix
You can find Down to Earth Rose and Flower mix available at Arbico Organics in one-, five-, and 15-pound compostable boxes.
After the blooms fade, give the plants a mild, balanced food once a month.
A product with a NPK (nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium) ratio of 1-1-1 or 2-2-2 is about right.
My go-to is Dr. Earth’s houseplant food because it comes in a convenient pump bottle and is made using discarded produce from grocery stores.
Dr. Earth Houseplant Fertilizer
It’s also available at Arbico Organics in 16-ounce bottles.
Generally, you don’t need to prune your plumeria plants except to keep them from growing too large.
Make sure you wear gloves when handling these plants as the sap can be irritating to your skin.
In the late winter remove any diseased, dying, or dead branches. Then, remove a few branches from any crowded areas. Cut these areas back to the nearest healthy stem or stalk.
Prune back any branches that are too long or anywhere you want to encourage branching. Make these cuts right in front of a leaf node.
Don’t prune too late in the year or you’ll disrupt that year’s flowering.
You’ll also need to repot your plant regularly, at least every three years. As your plant grows, it needs more space. On top of that, repotting also refreshes the potting medium, which tends to become depleted and compacted over time.
Choose a pot one or two sizes bigger than the existing container. Remove the plant from its existing pot and brush away the potting medium.
Examine the roots and prune away any dead or damaged areas. Then, put a small layer of soil at the bottom of the pot and lower the plant into it. Fill in around it with fresh soil.
If you want to keep the plant at a particular size, remove it from the container, trim back the roots and repot into the same container with fresh potting soil.
Managing Pests and Disease
Spider mites are plumeria enemy number one when growing indoors. They’re extremely common and incredibly damaging if their numbers are allowed to build up.
These tiny little tick relatives use their sucking mouthparts to draw out the sap from the plants. As they do this, they cause yellow stippling on the foliage, leaf drop, and large infestations can even kill a plant.
If you look closely, you’ll probably see fine webbing on the plant and it might contain debris, which is the discarded exoskeletons of the mites.
The first step is to isolate your plant because you don’t want this problem spreading.
If you can easily move your plant around, take it into the bathtub or shower and spray every part of the specimen to knock the mites loose. Do this once a week until there are no more pests present.
Otherwise, you can spray your plant with insecticidal soap or neem oil. Our guide to spider mites explains all the details.
You might also encounter root rot if the soil isn’t freely draining or you’re prone to overwatering. Soggy soil essentially drowns the roots by depriving them of oxygen.
Take care to water the appropriate amount and always check to make sure the drainage holes aren’t clogged.
Bring Home the Tropics
You can definitely toss out the scented candles when you grow plumeria indoors.
Each time I catch a whiff of mine, it takes me right back to that first experience in Hawaii, only I get to enjoy it every day during the blooming season.
Are you growing plumeria indoors? Do you know of a specific cultivar that does exceptionally well? Let us know in the comments section below!
If you’re thinking of bringing more tropical flowers into your home, we’ve got you covered. Check out these guides next:
