I grow Plumerias in containers. It took me three years to get it right. One of my Plumerias is called Plumeria rubra 'Celadine' This cultivar is more tolerant of cold. I initially put it indoors two years ago during winter, and stays outdoors from late Spring to late Fall. Then for this winter, I decided to leave it outdoors since it has been really so dry here in California. The only time I did bring it indoors during this winter is if we have a hard freeze warning which is in the range below 30F. Above that it survives okay. But I have kept it drier once outside in the cold. We did have occasional rains, but it was so infrequent and it held on to its leaves. To be honest my problem were the nasty snails!
My other plumeria is just called Plumeria Yellow. This one promptly drops its leaves once Fall season becomes cooler, so once it does that, I bring it indoors by our south facing window all winter long. It will eventually drop all the leaves and go dormant, so totally no watering.
As our temps go back more stable overnight where it is no longer going below 50f, then I bring it out together with other plants overwintered indoors. But I put it in part shade first to acclimate with the change. Typically, like now, it is just in leaf claw stage, where the tips have those reddish claw-like growth which are the new leaves forming. I just wait patiently till at least one leaf has formed nicely, before I attempt to give it any watering and then resume fertilizing.
Celadine is different, it did not drop all its leaves, so I have already resumed giving it some water. And it is in a more full sun position now outdoors. Our area is intensely hot during summer and thankfully we have some shade here from the trees. By summer time, I really have to treat these plants like tropical plants, gets more frequent watering, when temps are very warm. I got my first Celadine blooms last year in Fall. That was a surprise to me really, never expected a fall bloom from it since most other growers get their blooms in Spring to Summer.
You can definitely trim down the plant while it is dormant, especially if it has grown several tips, but make sure you cut at least 18 inches long, so there is enough energy in the cutting.
Oftentimes, the hardest part is giving it the loving neglect it needs when it is time to wake up. Find a nice part sun/part shade area and leave it there, till it grows the claws and then becomes leaves. I made the mistake in my earlier attempts before of exposing the cutting to intense sun right away, somehow it stunted the growth, eventually I killed it thinking it needs water. No leaves, no roots. It may even try to form flowers first before the leaves, but do not be deceived, those are just latent buds. You got to have leaves forming, to be assured of root formation below.
Just adding, it really needs to be outdoors during the warmer months. It is a tropical plant that enjoys full sun as long as properly watered.
This is Plumeria rubra 'Celadine' in bloom late Sept 2014.
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