Can I keep a frangipani in a pot?

If you are hoping to keep your frangipani in a pot, there are some advantages and disadvantages.

Advantages

-If your frangipani is in a pot, you can easily move it around. You can move it to a protected area while it’s dormant in the coldest months and you can move it to a warmer position for spring, summer and autumn. You can more easily take it with you, if you move house.

-If your frangipani is in a pot, you can sell it without having to dig a hole and you don’t need to disturb or break any of the roots. It’s easy for the buyer to move it into position and plant it. This is why we have hundreds of our frangipanis in pots at out Eumundi frangipani nursery.

-Since the pot has a flat base, it will stand firm in a truck or trailer and can be transported safely without it falling over.

Disadvantages

-Soil in pots dry out faster than the ground. Unlike in-ground frangipanis, potted frangipanis need to be watered.

-If a frangipani is potted up with rich soil or quality potting mix, the frangipani will have sufficient nutrients for 2 or 3 years. After that, fertilizers will be needed to keep the soil fertile.

-If you put your frangipani in a large ceramic pot, it will look good for many years however the roots will continue to get bigger and bigger. Unlike plastic pots, transplanting from a ceramic pot can be difficult and you might not want to go to a larger ceramic pot.

I don’t have personal experience with frangipanis in ceramic pots but I have seen other types of trees split their pots and all plant roots will thicken quickly if they are allowed to grow out a drainage hole and into the ground.