If you are looking for an alternative climbing plant to the traditional rose bushes or ivy but with a lot of colors, bougainvillea is the specimen you are looking for. This precious shrub of Brazilian origin offers beautiful pink, white, yellow, salmon, red or purple flowers on thorny branches that can reach up to 8 meters in height. It is a spectacular shrub, especially during the warm months, when it shows its striking flowering.
Characteristics of bougainvillea
It is known by the names of camelinas, bougainvillea, bougainvillea, Santa Rita plant, or summer plant, although its scientific name is Bougainvillea. This climbing shrub can reach heights of up to 8 meters and is very resistant, making it a very easy plant to grow. When we talk about the bougainvillea flower we are really referring to their bracts, which are the part of showy pink (or other colors that contrast with the green of their true leaves) that covers the plant almost completely during spring and summer. Its true flowers are yellow or white and very small, practically unnoticeable from a distance.
Its great strength allows it to heal the pruning easily, so it is possible to grow it in pots in much smaller sizes without the slightest problem. Its reputation as a delicate plant is totally undeserved, although to have it in the best possible conditions, it is convenient to know the basics about the care of bougainvilleas
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Location and light for bougainvillea
One of the first questions to ask yourself here is: is the bougainvillea plant sunny or shady? The shortest and most direct answer is very simple: the sun. Bougainvilleas need a large amount of natural light to develop properly, preferring conditions with direct sunlight for much of the day.
Light is one of the few vital points when it comes to knowing how to care for bougainvillea and it is, in fact, the only thing that the plant is really demanding. Place it in full sun outdoors and, if you plant it indoors, put it in a room that is as bright as possible, near a natural light source, such as a large window.
Soil and compost for bougainvillea
When we talk about bougainvilleas, it is common to refer to them even as rustic plants, given their great resistance and little need for care. One of these points with which the plant is not fussy at all is with respect to the soil. This plant is adapted to nutrient-poor soils, so it does not need us to enrich its soil with a large amount of organic matter. In fact, if we plant it outdoors, it will not do well if we fertilize the soil in excess. On the other hand, in a pot, your needs increase, as happens with all plants, and you will appreciate a contribution of fertilizer, better if it is liquid, every two weeks during the warm months.
For the mixture of substrate or soil, the only thing to look for is that it is soil that offers good drainage to avoid occasional flooding, which never benefits the plants. The bougainvillea in winter will not need fertilizer of any kind.
Irrigation of bougainvillea
When it comes to seeing how often the bougainvillea is watered, we find that the plant is as undemanding here as it is with the soil. Bougainvillea does not need much watering: in spring and summer, it will usually be enough to water it once a week in the garden, or every 3-4 days in a pot. In winter, it will be better to let it receive the water from the rain itself, or at least to space its waterings a lot. It is important to avoid wetting its leaves when watering, focusing on the soil or substrate that receives the water.
Bougainvillea cultivation and cuttings
The best way to propagate or plant this shrub is from softwood cuttings of a good specimen that is healthy by the end of summer , approximately. If you miss this season, find hardwood cuttings and root them in sand or a mixture of sand and peat.
It is also important to remember that we are facing a climbing bush , so helping it with trellis with wires that help it climb the wall will ensure that it develops, in addition to correctly, in the direction that interests us.
