Gardenhint: The Bougainville

General: The Bougainville belongs to the family of Nyctaginaceae and is native to tropical and subtropical areas of South America. Its name is traced back to that of the French navigator Louis Antoine de Bougainville, who during his travels he discovered this beautiful plant and became a great lover. It is a kind of 18 species of shrubs and creepers.
Exhibition: In the warm temperate zones bougainvillea can be grown outdoors in the garden, while in those where the temperature, especially during the winter season, it is necessary to repair them are more rigid and, depending on the situation, retreated into . They can be grown in pots and tubs emissions. The growth and development of climbing species must be supported by the climbing plants on trellises, wires and special supports. The ideal location is full sun, watering should be more frequent during the flowering period and decrease gradually to the end of it. In summer it should be administered once a week, a liquid fertilizer. For potted plants you should proceed to repot every year in February and March.
Flowers: The bougainvillea is distinguished by the peculiarity of its inflorescence, the latter are made up of bracts (leaves changing), of various colors and shades that surround the true flower of yellow-white. The flowering period is from June to late autumn. 

Multiplication is by cuttings in summer hardwood cuttings are taken approximately 7 cm in length, to be planted in a sandy composed, in pots of about 6 cm in diameter. For a period of three weeks, the period of rooting, it is good to place them in special boxes to ensure planting a temperature of 20-25 ° C. Alternatively, cuttings of 15 cm can be harvested from mature branches in January. The procedure to obtain the roots is the same as seen above, the temperature should be maintained is about 18 ° C.
In February, it is good to perform the pruning action, be shortened by about one third, on the main branches and prune the plant by eliminating the weaker branches.

Bougainvillea spectabilis This is a species native to Brazil that can reach a height of 7-8 meters and more, if planted in the ground full of 1.5 to 3 meters when planted in pots. The stem is thorny, oval and elliptical leaves are dark green. The inflorescences are characterized by long bracts up to 4 cm, with colors ranging from red to purple and appear in summer. Among the most popular varieties include the Bougainvillea Bougainvillea Spectabilis Spectabilis lateritic and Thomas. 


Bougainvillea glabra A native of Brazil, the Bougainvillea glabra is suitable to be grown in pots, as it flourishes even when very young. In this case the maximum height reached by the plant is about 1.5-2.5 meters. The leaves are oval, the inflorescence bracts from the typical corn and composed of various shades, from red to purple, occurring from September through the fall. The variety is the most widespread sanderiana.