How to Grow Colorful Bouganvilla
You needn't live in a tropical climate to grow colorful tropical flowers like bouganvilla (Bougainvillea spectabilis). This plant is a vining variety that sports a profusion of colorful, paper-like blossoms that can bloom year-round. Colors range from yellow to pink to vibrant carmine and gorgeous royal purple. The bouganvilla is very vigorous, it's an evergreen plant and you can prune it to your heart's content to make it suitable for hanging baskets, flower pots, or in your garden soil. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- Bouganvilla starter plant(s) or cuttings
- Perlite
- Peat moss
- Pencil or screwdriver
- Small plastic nursery pots
- Larger pots for decorative purposes
Instructions
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How to Start Bouganvillas
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If you want to start more bouganvillas from an established plant, take cuttings that are four to six inches long.
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Strip the lower leaves from your cuttings, moisten them in water, and then dip them in a rooting hormone.
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Prepare a light potting mix from perlite and peat moss, fill small plastic nursery pots with this mix, water them thoroughly, and then poke holes in the mix with a screwdriver of pencil.
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Carefully insert your cuttings into the prepared mix in your pots, and then tuck the mix around their base to secure them securely.
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Water thoroughly and then place them in a location that gets filtered or indirect sunlight but not direct, hot sun. Within four to six weeks, they should develop roots and are then ready to plant out in your garden.
How to Plant Bouganvilla in Your Garden
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Whether you use rooted cuttings or purchased starter plants, the procedure for planting bouganvilla in your garden is the same.
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Dig a hole slightly larger than the rootball of your young bouganvilla, or prepare a hole in a flower pot into which you have mixed some good potting soil and perhaps more perlite.
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For in-ground planting, mix some well-rotted manure or compost into the hole you have dug.
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Place your young bouganvilla into the hole you have dug and then tap the soil down around its base so it sits securely.
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Water your new planting well, and keep it moist until new growth begins to appear. After that, if you keep the soil slightly dry, your plant will thrive.
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Bouganvilla like to be fertilized with an all-purpose fertilizer, diluted to half strength .
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Tips & Warnings
Cut branches to 18 to 20 inches for the best blooming success. Bougainvilla prefer bright light and do just as well in a shady area as they do in full sun. They might lose some leaves for awhile in winter, and they might also lose leaves at any time of the year when light conditions are low. Bouganvilla are generally fairly insect-free. Bouganvilla do best in large containers if you want to grow them in pots: 12 inch pots are the recommended size.
The bouganvilla has nasty thorns, so take care when pruning them and handling mature plants.
Resources
- Photo Credit Photo courtesy of Expert Village
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Comments
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I am having trouble with my plants blooming. They looks healthy, but do not bloom. What am I doing wrong?
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I was given 2 large plants that had dropped all leaves and had gone dormant (i hope). how do I trim and water and feed them to get them to come back from dormancy?
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I wintered my bouganvilla in the basement and transplanted them this spring. They are now healthy bushy plants but no flowers. Last year they flowered like crazy in the same spot. Any suggestions?
