Page 35 - Interface August 2024

vailable in red, purple/mauve,
white, yellow, orange, magenta
Aand many shades of pink,
Bougainvilleas are stunning but rather
sensitive when young.

As ‘adolescents’, they have easily
damageable, brittle root systems. When
planting, wet the soil thoroughly before
transplanting from the nursery bag or
container. Do not loosen the soil away
from the roots during this process to
avoid transplant shock.

Top tip: Bougainvilleas love warm,
sunny spots with well-drained, rich,
loamy soil. They prefer infrequent but
deep watering.
STYLING AND TRAINING
Bougainvillea plants are essentially
creepers but with nifty pruning, they CONTAINERS AND INDOORS
can be trained to grow into several Bougainvillea will also thrive in
styles and shapes, for example neat containers if the potting mix is
formal hedges using mesh or wooden well-drained and nutritious
trellises. In smaller gardens, they can and receives infrequent but
be controlled by frequent pruning and deep watering. They need
even styled into ball shapes called as much sun as possible
superballs or standards. Depending but will tolerate some
on the size of the ball or the height shade during the day. When
required, bold columns can also be growing indoors, choose a
created and are real show-stopping spot that receives some sun
décor elements. and is always well-lit. Prune
indoor plants regularly and be
Top tip: Choose low-growing varieties careful not to overwater them.
and experiment with hedging styles When selecting your container,
and wall cover-ups. Remember to tie look for pots with plenty of drainage
down the plants with string while still in holes (don’t forget the saucer), and
training school. remember that the pot’s size will also
affect the size of the plant’s growth. cold regions, a frost cloth should be
PRUNING used for protection, but they are
Pruning should be carried out once your Top tip: Try special container growing generally quite resistant and grow back
Bougainvillea has finished flowering. Bougainvillea varieties such as vera well.
This encourages new growth upon purple/white, flame, ruby and rijnstar.
which the next flush of flowers will Top tip: Look out for aphids and red
grow. A good general rule is that regular FEEDING, FROST AND PESTS spider mites that may spawn during
light pruning will keep them in good A balanced foliar fertiliser can be spring. Fortunately, these are easy to
shape with near-constant regrowth applied every four weeks during take care of with the variety of organic
and blooms. Pruning also helps reduce the growing period. Alternatively, and chemical pesticides available at
disease and extends the life of the a slow-release 3:1:5 fertiliser nurseries.
plant. Pruning during winter will set the every two to three months is also
tone for the new season and give the good. Ask your nursery for advice Remember to mulch around all
plant a great head start. and recommendations on feeding Bougainvillea beds and containers to
solutions. Another great thing about retain soil moisture and reduce weed
Top tip: Pinch off tender ends that are Bougainvilleas is that they are virtually growth. Follow these tips for best results
about to bloom to promote denser, disease-free, provided they have lots of and may your growing journey be
brighter flowers. sunlight. During winter in particularly successful!

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