Growing Frangipani from Cuttings

Frangipanis are famous for their distinct flowers and the unmistakeable fragrance they produce. They come in a variety of single and multi-colour combinations, although the classic white and yellow is a common sight in many Aussie gardens.

Get in early and have your frangipani cuttings prepared for planting, so that they are ready to plant out for Spring and Summer. In fact, nothing grows as easily from a cutting as frangipani does! Propagating at the tail end of Winter will give you a head start.  

If you have been eyeing off a neighbour’s magnificent frangipani specimen, take a cutting (with permission of course!) and take the following steps to make sure you get the lovely scent of frangipani wafting throughout your garden this Summer. 

- 1 - Look for a suitable branch of a large, parent tree that looks healthy and is disease free.  Many frangipani trees suffer from rust, but there are treatment options for this if you can’t avoid it.  A thicker branch leading on to three (or more) smaller branches will work well in the garden and can provide shade over an area once it grows.

- 2 - Take a clean cutting from the older wood, using some sharp loppers or secateurs. A piece around 50cm in length should give you the opportunity to bury it deeper in the ground and encourage a strong root system to establish. Remove the flowers and buds as well as all the lower leaves.

- 3 - Allow the cutting to rest, and leave the cutting in a dry, well ventilated area outside in the sun so that the wound can heal.  This process can take up to a few weeks, so be prepared to be patient.

- 4 - Once adequately dried, it can be planted straight into position in the garden, or into a pot.  If planting into a pot, use Rocky Point’s Seed & Cutting Mix, or another growing medium with a high proportion of sand.  If planting directly into the ground, choose a nice sunny spot with good drainage and fill the hole with some of the cutting mix, then firm down well.

- 5 - Only water your frangipani sparingly, until you see new growth.  Overwatering can cause the section under the ground to rot and fail to establish roots, so dryer is better.

- 6 - Mulch your established frangipani with a thin layer of Cow Manure Plus, followed by some Sugar Cane Mulch.  This will give your frangipani a gentle feed over the growing season. 

 Follow these steps, and you'll be enjoying your own frangipani flowers in no time!