Bougainville the most beautiful flowering plants for tropical gardens.
It is easy to grow these thorny ornamental plants, that can add colour to your garden. Though there are different varieties of plants in this family, Bougainville glabra with beautiful flowers, is the most attractive one. The brightly coloured parts of the plant are really bract like structures, that surround the white flowers. In tropical climates, this perennial plant produces blooms about eight to nine months, a year.
You can use the Bougainville plants for many purposes such as pot planting, bonsai, landscaping etc.
The trailing species, with tender stems are most suitable for making arch trellises.
It is not recommended to grow the Bougainville plants indoors. Because direct bright sunlight is very essential for better blooming.
However, you can keep it in places where the plant gets sunlight for a few hours a day.
How to grow Bougainville plants for tropical gardens
Certainly we can use stem cuttings of the Bougainville plants for propagation. Always remember to select mature stems from the mother plants, preferably that are free from any kind of diseases. Stem cuttings with a length of six inches and thickness about that of a pencil, is fine.
Likewise, you can buy saplings of different varieties of Bougainville plants from nurseries.
In addition, it is easy to grow the Bougainville plants, either directly in soil or in pots.
For growing the plant directly in the garden, the first thing we have to do is to select a sunny location.
Then make a pit with dimensions 1:1:1 foot and fill it with a mixture of dried leaf compost, bone meal and neem seed powder. Then plant the stem cutting in it, about three inches deep.
To protect the plant from direct sunlight, provide a shade till it adapts to the new environment. Never forget to water the plant twice daily, till the root are fixed.
Gradually remove the shade, as and when new leaves begin to sprout.
With proper caring, your Bougainville will produce blooms within a year.
Pruning your Bougainville
Usually the growth of the plant, depends on the species you select for your garden. Some plants grow much faster, while some others are having a comparatively slower growth.
However in tropical climates, it is better to prune the Bougainville plants after the heavy monsoons. Preferably during the months of June and July.
Always remember to feed the plants with some organic fertilizer after pruning, which is essential for a faster re growing.
Definitely your Bougainville will start reblooming within a period of two months.
Bougainville plants for pot planting
Surely it is one of the best plants for growing in pots. For this, first prepare a well drained sandy medium, preferably as stated below.
| River sand | 25% |
| Garden soil | 25% |
| Coco peat | 25% |
| A mixture of Bone meal and Neem seed powder | 25% |
Fill the pot with the above mixture after covering the drainage hole with a piece of wire mesh. Then plant the sapling or stem cutting in it, about three inches deep.
Keep the pot in shade for a few days, and water regularly.
You can move the pot gradually to partial sunlight, when the plant gets adapted to the new medium.
Bright sunlight in essential for the Bougainville plants for better blooming.
During the blooming season, you need to water the plant only when the top soil gets dried out completely. Moreover, feed your Bougainville occasionally with a low nitrogen fertiliser.
Bougainville bonsai plants for tropical gardens
Above all, it is one of the best flowering plants, suitable for bonsai in tropical climates. Through proper training, you can easily make beautiful Bougainville bonsai.
Following the above simple tips, try to grow Bougainville plants, and make your garden really awesome.
