Bougainvillea glabra
Bougainvillea
Common names: Paper flower, Trio flower
At a glance
- Light
- Full sun
- Hardiness
- Cold damage below 5 °C
- Pruning
- Feb–Mar
- Flowering
- Jun–Oct
- Spacing
- 80 cm, rows 80 cm
- Water need
- Medium
This description was machine-translated.
Description
Bougainvillea glabra comes from Brazil and is grown here as a container plant for terraces and balconies. It is also called the trio flower, because each group of three colored bracts surrounds three small, inconspicuous flowers. These bracts, in magenta, purple, pink, orange, or white, glow from June to October and are the actual eye-catching feature. As a scrambling climber with thorns, it does not cling by itself and needs a trellis or climbing frame. In a container it usually grows 2 to 3 m tall. It loves heat and sun but cannot tolerate frost and must be kept bright and cool indoors in winter. With the right winter quarters, it flowers for many years.
Care instructions
Place the bougainvillea in the sunniest and warmest spot you have: at least 6 hours of sun per day, sheltered from wind and prolonged rain. It may only go outdoors after the Ice Saints, in mid-May. As a scrambling climber with thorns that does not climb on its own, tie the shoots to a trellis or a frame of canes. Water thoroughly once the top layer of soil has dried, and let excess water drain away. Brief dry periods encourage flowering, but complete drying out causes leaves to drop. Fertilize regularly and cut back spent shoots. Wear gloves when pruning and tying. Common mistakes are overwatering, a spot that is too dark, and a winter that is too warm and dark.
The care notes were machine-translated from German.
Garden year
FloweringJun–Oct
Soil & site
Soil pH
Soil type
well-drained, humus-rich, sandy
Bougainvillea needs loose, very free-draining soil that does not stay wet after watering. High-quality potting compost for container plants mixed with some sand or grit is well suited, and a slightly acidic to neutral pH is ideal. A layer of crocks or expanded clay at the bottom of the pot ensures drainage. Waterlogging quickly leads to leaf drop and root rot. Because it flowers better in a rather snug pot than in a very large one, choose a container no larger than necessary and only repot when the roots fill the pot.
Feeding
Medium feeder
Months
Apr–Aug
From April to August, add liquid fertiliser for flowering plants to the water every two weeks. Too much nitrogen brings long green shoots and few bracts, so it is better to use a little less than too much. From September, stop feeding so that the shoots ripen and the plant comes to rest. In its winter quarters it gets no fertiliser.
Pruning
Bougainvillea flowers on the new shoots and tolerates hard pruning. In February or March, shorten the shoots clearly before new growth and take out dry or frozen branches completely. In summer, after each flush of flowers, cut the spent shoots back to two or three buds, so that a new display soon follows. Before bringing it in in autumn, you may shorten shoots that are too long to fit the winter quarters. Wear gloves when pruning, because the shoots have thorns.
Overwintering
Bougainvillea does not tolerate frost. Bring it in in autumn as soon as nights fall below 7 °C, at the latest before the first frost. The spot should be bright and at 8 to 12 °C, never below 5 °C. In cool quarters it drops many leaves, which is normal. Water only enough that the root ball does not dry out completely. From March, move it somewhere warmer and brighter, prune it back and water more again. After the Ice Saints in mid-May it may go outdoors, ideally first for a few days in partial shade.
Propagation
Methods
- Cuttings
You propagate bougainvillea from semi-hardwood cuttings. In spring or early summer, cut shoot pieces about 10 cm long with several leaf nodes, remove the lower leaves and insert them into sandy seed compost. Under a cover in a bright, very warm spot out of full sun, they form roots in a few weeks. This does not always work, so put several cuttings in one pot. Bottom heat helps with rooting.
For your garden
Grow Bougainvillea yourself
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