Love plumerias? The LA County Arboretum has a festival for you this weekend

Southern California definitely loves its flowers – just look at Pasadena’s Rose Parade, or the crowds that fill state parks every time there’s a poppy superbloom. You can add plumerias to the list, as the Los Angeles County Arboretum celebrates the 10th edition of its Plumeria Festival this Friday and Saturday.

The origins of the Plumeria Festival

Like a lot of traditions in Los Angeles, the Arboretum’s Plumeria Festival started with someone who moved here and wanted to bring a piece of their homeland.

Fragrance chemist Arturo Martinez and his wife moved to Los Angeles from Cuba, but even after building a new life here, he still felt homesick.

“What he told me was he kept thinking that there was something missing from his life,” said Jim Henrich, curator of the festival at the L.A. Arboretum. “There was something from years ago that just wasn't present.”

According to Henrich, that changed when Martinez saw a bundle of discarded plumeria branches on the street. Martinez had forgotten about this flower from his childhood. After the chance discovery jogged his memory, he was inspired to donate the plants to start the Arboretum’s plumeria grove, which quickly drew the support of other volunteers who maintained and grew the Arboretum’s collection.

Arturo Martinez (left), whose donation started the Arboretum's plumeria grove, pictured with curator Jim Henrich (right).

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Courtesy Los Angeles County Arboretum

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“It's the same with food: There are certain memories that everybody has of being in the kitchen with mom and dad or the grandparents, and every year we made this kind of cookie, whatever it is,” Henrich said.

Since then, the plumeria grove has expanded to over 100 plants, one of the largest collections of the plants in the United States.

About plumerias

Plumerias are recognizable for their light-colored, five-petaled flowers – though some are more spiral-shaped while others look like stars. The plants are often grown as shrubs, but can grow to the size of a small tree, according to the Arboretum’s botanical information consultant Frank McDonough.

The plumeria’s signature scent is just as variable – they range from floral to citrus to peach-like all the way to pizza. (Though you’ll have to smell the last one for yourself and decide, Henrich said he didn’t personally pick up any pizza notes.)

Plumerias are known for their vibrant, often multicolored petals.

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Courtesy Frank McDonough/Los Angeles County Arboretum

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The plumeria is often associated with the tropical Pacific, especially Hawaii and Southeast Asia, but there aren’t any plumeria specimens that are native there. Every documented plumeria species is native to the Caribbean region.

But since they thrive in many tropical climates, including Hawaii, they’ve easily been incorporated into Hawaiian culture and customs for generations.

“The environment there with the really rapidly draining volcanic soils and the amount of rain they get, and the fact that some parts of the island have seasonal dry periods, which is what they need, they grow really well, and they become such a critical part of the culture,” Henrich said.

While the plumerias’ blooming season is underway, it’ll continue into the fall – Henrich said even September and October are good months to spot plumeria flowers, and this reporter has spotted them in bloom at the Arboretum as late as early November.

Details about the festival

At the event, there’ll be food trucks ranging from Cuban, Mexican, Hawaiian and Central American food, as well as jewelry, bath products, and cocktails on Friday evening. Vendors will also sell several different varieties of plumerias, which are renowned worldwide for its vibrant colors and fragrance.

If you do take home a plumeria specimen or two, the Arboretum will be holding workshops to teach new owners how to care for the plants, as well as other skills like lei-making.

Plumerias are available for purchase every year at the festival.

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Courtesy Frank McDonough/Los Angeles County Arboretum

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Or if you’d rather just soak up the sights and smells, the Arboretum will offer guided tours, with expanded offerings this time around.

“For the first time this year, we're offering a couple of them in Spanish, and at least one of them in Mandarin, to broaden the audience and entice more people to join the tours,” Henrich said.

The Plumeria Festival runs from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Friday, July 19 and from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Arboretum's grounds in Arcadia. The event is free with admission, which costs $15 for adults. The plumeria grove is open year-round.