Plumeria du Jour - Hula Girl
(Plumeria • )
Hula Girl was introduced by legendary plumeria expert Jim Little, and I was lucky enough to find a triple-header cutting for sale two years ago at Teas Nursery in Houston.
This year the cutting seemed a little unhappy with its placement against the back of the house, so I moved it into a slightly sunnier location where it promptly developed three inflos. I moved it back close to the house again, so we could enjoy the coming flowers. Just in time for a storm to knock a pecan branch into the largest branch top, slicing off the largest grouping of flower buds.
But this second group has been coming on strong. The most noticeable thing about these flowers is, they’re bright. Almost a dayglow orange-pink, on pedals that unfold in a whirl, perhaps giving the illusion of a Hula dancer’s swirling skirt? These flowers are 2 to 2.5 inches wide, and have been exuding a somewhat spicy plumeria fragrance. They fade unevenly to a light pink, and are accented by the nearly white back pedal edges, which curl slightly.
The plant itself has not been a remarkable grower, but its tendency to flower profusely makes up for that. The blooms in the photo are wet because, after a summer-long drought, we’ve had two days of on-again, off-again actual rain.
As always, click on the photo for a bigger and better look.
→ B.Dunn, Jul 24, 2009, 05 12 am
