BOUGAINVILLEA - (Back)

Splendid plants for the conservatory or frost free greenhouse. They will provide a riot of colour for up to ten months a year and sometimes all year ! It is also possible to grow the more compact varieties in a bright south facing window.

The Bougainvillea was discovered by a French botanist Philibert Comerson in the late 1760’s whilst plant hunting in Rio de Janiero and named after the captain, Louis Antoine de Bougainville.

Bougainvillea plants can climb high into the roof if required or smother a wall, and drip colour from a hanging basket, growing bougainvillea is not difficult ,all you need is a frost free conservatory or greenhouse even a well lit room can suffice for the winter and the Bougainvillea can be put outside in the summer. Bougainvillea need regular feeding with a balanced liquid feed, lightly prune after flowering to keep in shape and bushy, Bougainvillea only flower well on new growth so pruning is essential at some point.

We recommend re-potting your Bougainvillea each year into a free draining mix of John Innes plus 25% volume of perlite or grit to boost the drainage, they will not tolerate wet roots in winter. Care should be taken to gently transfer the rootball giving good support as the root system will detatch if you are brutal. Lightly prune after each flowering, any hard pruning should be done before growth starts in early spring. KEEP ON THE DRY SIDE IN WINTER.

There are many varieties of Bougainvillea to choose from , colours are varied as is the growth habit, many will climb if needed and they can mostly be kept compact also, in short, you dictate where it grows.

Bougainvillea may be collected from the Nursery at any time of the year, but mail order only accepted May - November.

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