Evergreen Frangipani

Evergreen Frangipani (Plumeria pudica) gives you the frangipani look without the bare winter sticks. It holds glossy dark green leaves all year, shaped a little like a fiddle, and carries clusters of pure white flowers with a yellow throat almost continuously through the warm months. At about 4m tall and 2.5m wide it stays in scale with a courtyard or a pool surround, where a traditional frangipani would eventually take over.

Why you'll love it

• Evergreen, so winter is not ugly. Ordinary frangipani stands as bare grey stems for months; this one keeps its canopy.
• Flowers for most of the year. In tropical and subtropical gardens it is rarely without white flowers.
• Fast, then it stops. Quick to useful height, then it settles near 4m rather than climbing over the roofline.
• Made for pools and the coast. Salt tolerant, heat tolerant and drought tolerant once established, with a canopy that does not shed constantly.
• Very little work. No spraying regime, and pruning is optional.

Where it works best

Poolside. This is the job it does best. It takes reflected heat and chlorinated splash, keeps its leaves through winter so the pool area does not look bare in July, and stays out of the paving.

Feature planting. A single plant near an entry or against a rendered wall reads as sculpture. Give it 2.5m of width and full sun.

Pots, balconies and courtyards. A container 500mm or larger with free draining mix keeps it smaller, flowering just as freely, and lets you move it under cover in a cold snap.

Growing Evergreen Frangipani in Australia

Position and climate. Full sun. Part shade keeps it alive but cuts flowering noticeably. It is frost tender, so it belongs in tropical, subtropical and warm temperate gardens: Darwin, Cairns, Brisbane, coastal Sydney and coastal Perth are all comfortable. In Melbourne, Adelaide, Canberra and any frost prone district, pot it and shelter it for winter.

Soil. Free draining soil is non negotiable, because it rots in wet clay. Plant on a raised mound with coarse compost and sand worked through, or a cactus and succulent mix in pots.

Water and feed. Water deeply but let the soil dry between drinks, roughly weekly through the first summer and only in dry spells after. Cut watering right back in winter, and feed in early spring and mid summer with a low nitrogen fertiliser.

Pruning and sap. Pruning is rarely needed; shorten a few stems in late spring for a fuller shape. Cuts release a milky sap that irritates skin and eyes, so wear gloves and rinse your tools. That sap is also why it is a poor choice for a yard where a dog chews everything.

What to expect when it arrives

It is grown in four sizes: 200mm pots in packs of six, single 300mm pots, then 45L and 100L. The 200mm and 300mm plants are young and grow away quickly in a warm summer. The 45L and 100L sizes arrive branched and typically flower in their first season.

Plants are packed to travel upright and delivered Australia wide, with delivery from $29.95. Advanced and large stock is freighted at cost. Plant in spring or early summer if you can; stock arriving in cooler months sits still until the soil warms. Every plant is covered by our 30 day healthy plant guarantee.

Plant care guides and related reading

• The complete evergreen frangipani growing guide
• Choosing low maintenance poolside plants
• Browse the full tropical plant range
• Planning a coastal feature garden

Common questions

How is it different from a normal frangipani?

It keeps its leaves through winter and flowers for far longer, but carries little to no perfume. If scent is the whole point, a traditional deciduous frangipani is the better buy.

Will it survive frost?

No. It is frost tender. In frost prone gardens grow it in a large pot, keep it dry through winter and move it under an eave when cold nights are forecast.

Why has mine stopped flowering?

Usually not enough sun, or too much nitrogen from a general fertiliser. Move it into all day sun and switch to a low nitrogen feed.