Plumeria Plants -- Why So Expensive?

[buadhai]

I've gotten used to being able to by orchids and all sorts of other ornamental plants for very little money. We got a bit of sticker shock when looking for a plumeria (frangipani) plant yesterday. We finally bought a small one that looks recently propagated for 400 baht. This compares with being able to buy a lovely orchid in full bloom for only 20 or 30 baht.

What gives? Why are plumeria so expensive when they are so easy to propagate?

(When I lived on Saipan I had dozens and dozens of plumeria, but never bought a single one. All of them were grown from cuttings I got from friends....)

[Jai Dee]

Can't give you an answer on the cost Mike as I agree with you... Lelawadee (plumeria) are very popular with the Thais and also expensive.

I have been developing my own cutting collection... samples from golf courses, overhanging branches etc...

As you say, they are very easy to propagate and they grow rapidly here in this climate. As they are fast growers and have to be pruned fairly hard to keep them in shape, I'm always on the lookout in our area for someone discarding offcuts.

[buadhai]

A while back I was at a party, about to expropriate a cutting from a sweet-smelling Jasmine plant. I said to the Thai woman who was with me on the venture, "Maybe I ought to ask Dan (the host)."

My friend replied, "Oh, no. A cutting that is 'taken' grows much better than one that is 'given'."

What do you think?

[Jai Dee]

My friend replied, "Oh, no. A cutting that is 'taken' grows much better than one that is 'given'."

That is just so typically Thai...

:D

And... I guess most of my cuttings were 'taken'...

[buadhai]

And... I guess most of my cuttings were 'taken'... 

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

But, never stolen, right?

[Jai Dee]

And... I guess most of my cuttings were 'taken'... 

But, never stolen, right?

[sbk]

Sounds fair to me, embarasses the heck out of my husband for some reason. One of my fondest memories goes back to a wedding someone held at the local school (more space) and a local Thai lady noticed a pretty plant and while saying "Oh what beautiful flowers" proceed to break off a rather largish branch. I turned to my husband with a grin, somehow, that felt like permission.