Desert Rose (Adenium obesum)
What are its minimum light requirements?
Does it bloom once a year?
How long does a bloom typically last?
Jul 12, 2020 at 7:30am Edited
It is a high light plant (full sun), which can be grown outdoors from late May through September here in NJ.
It blooms randomly throughout the active growth season. I mix my own soil. The last batch consisted of something like this:
- 2 parts top soil
- 1 part composted manure
- 2 parts sand
- 1 part perlite
In the future I will probably add 1 part ProMix, which is mostly peat.
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When my greenhouse space increased, I decided to broaden my scope beyond orchids. One of the plants that came to mind, was Adenium obesum, which I used to propagate for my dad more than 50 years ago.
Adenium obesum is a succulent related to Oleander (and thus has poisenous sap). It grows in Ethiopia & Saudi Arabia, where it tolerates full sun and drought conditions. Here, it should be watered & fertilized regularly during spring & summer; in the fall, scale back on watering, and during the winter water mature plants only once a month (otherwise it will rot).
50 years ago, I knew of only one color: Pink shading towards white in the center of the flower (1st photo). When I started to investigate this species last year, I discovered that many more colors are now available. I purchased a number of plants for breeding; the addtional photos are from those that have bloomed so far this spring/summer.