care and maintenance » Le Georgiche Nurseries

THE bougainvillea it is an unusual climbing plant, with colored bracts that are often mistaken for petals, in the center of which are the tiny flowers.

There are many varieties, which include hybrids whose color varies from white to yellow, up to bright red.

Bougainvillea is a plant that lends itself to a thousand uses, its fame generally precedes it, but it’s time to discover all the foundations for its care!

What exposure to give to Bougainvillea

Bougainvilleas love heat and they require at least 6 hours of full light per day and they have no problems withstanding hot summers (however, it is better to place protection in the height of summer). Often when Bougainvillea do not produce enough flowers it is precisely due to poor lighting, in fact the hours of light are essential so that flowering can be colorful and abundant.

What temperature can Bougainvillea resist?

Generally it is a plant heat loverso much so that he fears the winter cold. Prolonged and intense frosts can represent a real threat to Bougainvilleain fact, it is usually grown close to houses, terraces and in general in places that can guarantee it protection during the colder months. There is an exception, but we’ll find out later 😉

To maintain it, a temperature above 17°C is optimal.

How to water Bougainvillea

THE watering must be regular during the hot seasonwhile limited or even absent in winter. If you are in doubt about whether or not to water it is better to be patient, Bougainvillea is very sensitive to excess water!

As far as potted plants are concerned, this is important water deeplyso that the water reaches the base of the pot, then waiting for the soil to dry before proceeding with the next wetting, this method promotes good development (and also flowering) since the roots are stimulated to grow deep into the soil to access the humidity they need. This is also one of the main reasons why it is important to use pots with drainage holes, as the water that comes out of the bottom of the pot is an excellent indicator of whether you have given your Bougainvillea enough water.

Clay, ceramic and terracotta pots are better than plastic or metal pots as they do not conduct much heat during the day, which means the soil does not dry out too quickly. Here’s an article on the topic!

Which substrate to choose for Bougainvillea

In the flowerbed choose a light and draining soilwhile in pots, substrates with coarse aggregates in the mix are ideal.

As always, we recommend: One, One+ and One Ready

How to fertilize Bougainvillea

You have to pay attention to do not administer too much nitrogen or there will be the risk of penalizing the blooms.

We recommend: Asso di Fiori united mixed with the biostimulant Bionatura Bio Oro. Excellent blend, particularly suitable for a balanced intake of nutrients.

How to propagate Bougainvillea

Propagation can occur via semi-mature cutting taken in summer. The cutting should root in about 4-6 weeks or even faster with temperatures not exceeding 15°C. Alternatively you can take hardwood cuttings during the winter, therefore with temperatures below 3-6°C, these cuttings will take around 3 months to root.

How and when to prune Bougainvillea

Bougainvillea should be pruned gradually to limit size and require a trellis or pillar to support them as they grow. New flowering occurs on the current season’s growth, so this is ideal prune in late winter or early springas soon as flowering begins.

Useful tips:

• at the beginning of the season, bend and tie the young branches more lateral to control growth and stimulate the formation of bracts;
• after the bracts fall, prune the Bougainvillea to encourage the formation of other bracts;
• it is more suitable to replace old plants even if Bougainvillea should respond to hard pruning.

Pests and diseases of Bougainvillea

Bougainvillea can be subject to attacks by scale insects and aphids.

We always recommend our top mixture, dissolved in 1 l of water:

As we said, Bougainvillea loves sunlight and heat but there is one that is an exception: the Buganvillea x spectoglabra!

Sarmentosa deciduous, capable of reaching several meters in length, with alternating leaves of elliptical-elongated shape and dark green colour. It develops small white flowers, which bloom from spring to autumn, collected in clusters and surrounded by pink ornamental bracts. It prefers a warm and temperate climate, with exposure to full sun and partial shade, It also tolerates low temperatures very well (-10 °C) and is recognizable by its larger foliage and lighter colored bracts than those of the other varieties.

The Bougainvillea is suitable for growing in relatively small containerswhere the roots are slightly limited. When the plant is large enough to be repotted then it will be possible to increase the size of the pot proportionally, using a universal but well-draining soil.

Once planted, the soil of the Bougainvillea must be kept moist, but after the plant has stabilized it will be sufficient to water when the substrate is dry for the first centimeters, in order to allow the plant optimal growth.

Bougainvillea are sarmentose climbing shrubsparticularly appreciated for their small and tubular white or cream flowers, composed of 3 colored bracts (generally fuchsia) which act as petals.

In reality the bracts, depending on the variety, can also be pink, white, yellow, red, orange and lilac.

This plant usually produces three cycles of lively blooms in spring, summer and autumn.

It can grow up to 6m in height while it can reach 8m in spread, once stabilized it has rapid growth.

As Bougainvilleas grow they need rather resistant supports and, absolutely: watch out for thorns!

Taxonomic description

Bouganvillea is a genus of 18 species of evergreen or deciduous bushes and trees. It is part of the Nyctaginacae family.

Habitat

They are native to the tropical and subtropical forests and thickets of South America.

Curiosity

Bougainvilleas date back to 1768, when the French explorer Philibert Commerçon saw these flowers in Brazil and gave them the name we know today in honor of his friend: Louis Anthony of Bougainville.

Bougainvillea is not pet-friendly

Due to the sap produced by the plant, Bougainvillea is considered slightly toxic to pets. The leaves are not toxic, but stings from the thorns can cause skin infections or allergic reactions.

If ingested by humans, the components of this plant are not considered poisonous as the human body is able to handle this type of component, but many animals such as dogs and cats may show mild symptoms.

Bougainvillea is a plant that can be truly generous in terms of blooms but sometimes it happens that you are not seeing the desired results, here are 10 points to pay close attention to:

1. the plant receives less than 6 hours of light per day
   as we were saying, Buganvillea is a plant that loves sun and heat very much, if these two ingredients are not sufficient it is easy to find yourself having a plant with beautiful foliage but without flowering.
2. Too much water and poor drainage
   adult Bougainvillea should not be watered every day, they thrive in hot and arid climates and it is always better to wait for the soil to dry before proceeding with the next watering.
3. Too much nitrogen
   Fertilizing too much, even if done with the intention of helping the plant, is counterproductive. The approach with Bougainvillea is always that of «less is better“, in this case because too much nitrogen in the soil can cause strong foliage development to the detriment of flowering
4. Cold in winter
   except for B. x spectoglabra, the other Bouganvilleas are not great lovers of the cold and frost or excessively cold temperatures could be a problem for flowering.
5. Pruning absent or too heavy

Here are some tips to improve flowering!

1. not excessive temperatures, up to 18°C ​​at night and exposure to light for less than 12 hours;
2. light pruning, removing the faded flowers during the 3 blooms per year that the Bougainvillea usually produces;
3. if you hunt too many shoots with long thorns it is better to stop fertilizing and watering (following Jan Iredell’s strange recipe);
4. try to acidify the soil with sulfur and make sure it has good drainage;
5. protect the plant from the cold with non-woven sheets or by moving it to more sheltered areas in the case of pot cultivation.