Bougainville for pot planting bonsai fencing and landscaping, that you can try, especially for tropical home gardens. Truly it is one of the most important low maintenance plants, that can thrive in almost all places. Preferably tropical and sub tropical climates.
Definitely the blooms in clusters with a wide variety of colours, make the plant favourite of garden lovers. Bright parts around white flowers are really bracts. Poinsettia, mussaenda etc. are a few examples of such plants that are having bright bracts.
Surprisingly there are more than different 300 varieties of bougainville plants. Among these, bougainville glabra with bright bracts are the most common one.
Popularly it is known as the paper flower plant, due of the resemblance of bracts yo that of paper.
Bougainville for pot planting bonsai – general features of the plant
Most of the varieties of bougainville are having thorny stems with dark green leaves.
Likewise many of them are ideal for growing in our gardens as ornamental trees. In a like manner, we can keep it as shrub through proper pruning.
Trailing bougainvillea with creepy stems, are suitable for arches and trellises.
Above all, it is one of the favourites of bonsai lovers all over the world.
Bougainville for pot planting bonsai-favourable conditions for the plant
Doubtlessly the frost intolerant plant can thrive in tropical, mainly warm climates. Temperature that ranges between 20-30 degree celsius is ideal.
Also bright direct sunlight is needed for bougainvillea plant to bloom well. Similarly sunlight for at least six hours a day is preferable.
Well drained medium is one of the most essential requirements for the plant. Newly planted bougainvilles need frequent watering, whereas it is not much essential for grown ups.
Feeding occasionally, especially during the flowering period, with compost or any other organic manure is fine.
Pruning or pinching new buds leads to better blooming.
Bougainville for pot planting bonsai and fencing – colourful addition to home gardens.
Of course, these evergreen plants can make our gardens look gorgeous. Generally the flowers are seen in clusters, with red, pink, purple, orange, white, colours.
Like other ornamental trees, we can grow bougainvilles for our home gardens directly in soil. We should always find a sunny place for the plant, since it has to remain there permanently.
Furthermore, these are best ornamental plants for compound walls. Preferably like other flowering and non flowering plants. Examples are lantana, jasmin, ficus trees, palms etc.
Bougainville for pot planting bonsai and fencing -how to grow the plant in pots
Potted bougainvilles can make our indoors and outdoors equally fantastic. Likewise, we can keep bougainville in balconies, along with other plants. Only requirement is availability of sunlight for at least five to six hours a day.
Propagation
Usually stem cuttings are used for the propagation of bougainvillea plants. Cuttings of about six to eight inches collected from healthy mother plants are fine. Select those with a few leaves at the tips, but avoid tender stems, as there are chances for rotting.
Dwarf and hybrid varieties of plants are available with most of the sellers.
Potting medium
Home made potting medium by combining ingredients in the following ratio is suitable for the plant.
| Garden soil | 25% |
| River sand | 25% |
| Coco peat | 25% |
| Mixture of bone meal and neem seed powder | 25% |
Always remember to cover the drainage hole with a piece of wire mesh. Filling about one inch at the bottom layer with crushed bricks helps better drainage.
Then fill ¾ of the pot with the above medium, and tuck the cutting or sapling. Avoid thickly filling the pot, since it can lead to blockage of water and stunted growth of the plant.
Furthermore, dipping the cut end of the stem in a rooting hormone powder is preferable for better results.
Never forget to water the plant regularly. With proper caring, your bougainville roots within a period of six to eight weeks.
Keep the pot in shade till the plant gets adapted to the medium.
Gradually move the pot to partial, and finally to full bright sunlight.
Replanting the sapling is not necessary, if you use the same pot right from the beginning.
Otherwise you can take the sapling out of the pot carefully, without making damage to the stem and roots. Meanwhile, fill the pot for growing your bougainville, with the potting medium prepared as stated above. Further, plant this to the medium and repeat the same process as done in case of stem cuttings.
Bougainville for pot planting bonsai and fencing-
Watering
Though frequent watering is not needed for ground planted bougainvilles, it is essential for potted plants. Wait for the draining out completely before the next watering, or when the top soil becomes dry.
Feeding your bougainville
Once the blooming starts, feed your bougainville at intervals of three to four weeks. Any water soluble organic low nitrogen fertiliser is good.
Ideal pot for the plant
Choosing pot with a dimension of at least 12” is essential for the plant to establish properly.
Anyhow you can use pots that are even larger, depending on the growth of the plant.
Frequent repotting is not necessary for this perennial.
Blooming bougainville
Under favourable conditions, it never takes more than one year for your potted bougainville to start blooming.
Once the plant starts blooming, it continues for about eight to ten months. Mostly in tropical places like Kerala, blooming starts in November and lasts till May or June.
Removing flower stalks after each blooming is preferable for speedy sprouting of new buds.
Bougainville for pot planting bonsai-one of the most beautiful flowering bonsai
Doubtlessly, bougainville is one of the most beautiful tropical flowering bonsai .
Fukien tea tree, adenium obesum, ixora, tamarind etc. are a few other plants that you can grow easily in tropical places.
Making a bougainville bonsai is also that much easy, since the steps are somewhat similar.
Training of the bonsai starts when you replant the sapling from the pot for rooting. During different stages such as pinching, pruning, wiring etc. we should take extreme care.
Equally it is important, that we should apply some aesthetic sense for making the bonsai.
Above all, specially designed pots are necessary for bonsai. Whereas, any types are enough for ordinary pot planting.
Considering the above you can try bougainville for pot planting and bonsai, that are equally interesting.