The Only Tree You Need To Make Your Patio Or Porch Smell Good

There's really nothing quite like stepping onto your patio or porch on a nice evening and being greeted by an intoxicating fragrance. While many homeowners fill their yard with a variety of flowering bushes, vines, and flowers in pursuit of creating that perfect scent, you might be surprised to learn that a single, strategically-placed potted tree can do the job of a whole garden. If you want a show-stopping focal point that doubles as a natural scent diffuser for your porch or patio, there's only one tree you need: The frangipani (Plumeria rubra).

The delightful frangipani is native to regions in Mexico and Central and South America. It thrives in USDA hardiness zones 10 through 12, making it best suited for those areas, along with Hawaii or the southernmost areas in California, Arizona, Texas, or Florida. It's famous for its beautiful, pinwheel-shaped blooms and sweet floral aroma. This changes slightly for each variety, but the notes are generally described as fruity with vanilla. A neat fact about frangipani is its fragrance cycle; its scent grows stronger at night to attract pollinators. This means that when you're winding down after relaxing on your porch or patio, the blooms will start to intensify their perfume.

These trees are well-suited to living in a container. Frangipani are absolutely beautiful, featuring those pretty flowers and leaves that are leathery, and it's one of many flowering trees that are perfect for your yard, or in this case, your porch or patio. It effortlessly brings a luxurious tropical vibe to a boring porch, plus you can move it around to increase or decrease how much its fragrance envelops your outdoor space.

While they look exotic, it's easy to successfully care for and grow a plumeria plant, as long as you meet a few basic needs. The most critical requirement for a healthy, blooming plumeria is plenty of sunlight. These tropical beauties crave heat and light, requiring full sun every day in order to keep on producing their famous fragrant buds. Choose the warmest and sunniest corner of your area to place the tree so it can soak up all the sun it needs to thrive.

As for watering, tree container gardening is all about having great drainage with both your potting mix and the pot you plant it in. Also, make sure you water your frangipani thoroughly, then let the soil dry out a bit before you water it again.

Finally, if you don't live in a perpetually warm climate, you can still enjoy a potted frangipani, but you have to bring it inside for the winter once that first cold snap in fall hits. These delicate trees simply can't handle frost. To do this successfully, bring yours inside, trim back diseased or dead parts, and clean up its soil base. They enter a dormant resting state during the winter months, and you won't need to water them during this time. Just place your dormant frangipani in a warm and dry interior spot. Once it warms up again, your potted frangipani will be ready to offer up a beautiful scent for your patio once again.