Page 27 - Interface February 2026

BOUGAINVILLEA

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

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