The smell of a warm evening near a plumeria is the smell people have in their heads when they imagine moving here. Fat blunt branches, big oval leaves, and clusters of five-petalled waxy flowers that perfume the whole street after dark.
Where you’ll see it
Gardens, hotel entrances, beachside paths. It is native to the Americas and grown across the tropics, and it thrives on the dry coast.
What to know
Plumeria is a succulent at heart. It stores water in the thick branches, drops its leaves for the dry season, and rots if overwatered. Cuttings root with almost no effort, which is why it is everywhere. The flowers are the lei flower of Hawaii and are best at dusk, when the scent is strongest to attract night moths. Plant it by the terrace where you sit in the evening.
