Page 14 - IFV November Issue 2025

Gardening

BOUGAINVILLEA

BEAUTY

vailable in red, purple/
mauve, white, yellow, orange,
Amagenta and 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 superballs
or standards. Depending on the size
of the ball or the height required, bold
columns can also be created and are real
show-stopping décor elements.

Top tip: Choose low-growing varieties
and experiment with hedging styles
and wall cover-ups. Remember to tie
down the plants with a string while
still in training school.

Pruning
Pruning should be carried out once
your Bougainvillea has finished
Photo by Ranu Parashar on Unsplash

12 • November 2025 • The Villager