BOUGAINVILLEA (Bougainvillea gabra) PRODUCTION GUIDELINES CR338 - Field flowers

BOUGAINVILLEA bougainvillea gabra

Background One of the most exuberant climbing plants found anywhere warm to hot is bougainvillea. They are a tropical vine Origin: South America They are frost and cold hardy There are many, many different types of bougainvillea varieties

Botany Although you will notice the colorful parts of a bougainvillea plant first, its true flowers are tiny and inconspicuous. Considered a "perfect" flower in botanical terms, the flower contains both the male sexual structure, or stamen, and the female sexual structure, or pistil. Bougainvillea flowers are trumpet-shaped, white or yellow- white, waxy and less than 2.5cm long. They typically develop in a triangularly arranged group of three flowers on a single short stem. Two of these three flowers usually open at the same time, with the third opening slightly later.

Botany Although not technically part of the bougainvillea flower, specialized leaves called bracts surround the tiny true flowers. Bracts come in many bright colors, making bougainvillea a strikingly colorful garden plant. Three papery-looking bracts surround each group of three tiny flowers. Each bract has a central vein, with several spider-like, small veins radiating from it. Although the bracts are leaves, they don't photosynthesize the way most leaves do. Instead, their main function is to protect the tiny flowers that they surround and they also help attract pollinating insects and hummingbirds to the plant with their bright colors.

Botany Although bougainvillea flowers contain both male and female components, they are not self-fertile, and need cross- pollination from other bougainvillea plants to produce seeds. The bougainvillea flower makes nectar that attracts butterflies, moths and hummingbirds, which often carry pollen on their bodies, distributing it among nearby plants. The flower's nectar is kept in a structure called a nectary, which is a swollen area at the base of the tubular flower. The nectary has a long, thin neck accessible to these pollinators. When pollen from another plant is deposited on the surface of the flower's pistil, it grows down into the base of the pistil, called its ovary, where fertilization occurs and seeds develop.

Bougainvillea (Bougainvillea sp.) In summary: Thrives in full sun Some are thorny A vigorous grower Many flower colors For color in the garden bougainvillea provide some of the best choices.

MODE OF POLLINATION Pollinated by insects Such as bees

ADAPTATION FOR POLLINATION Although mode of pollination is by insects, its flowers are small and have no fragrance This is compensated by the plant transforming the buds near them to resemble blossoms. These have colorful petals and attract the bees.

How to use bougainvelleas

Bougainvillea Bonsai Tree Mix-color 'Bougainvillea Spectabilis Willd & quot

PICTURES

Miniature Varieties Temple Fire: Is basically a non-climber and can be treated as a shrub. It makes a delightful bedding specimen and as such is great value around the swimming pool. Temple Fire has brick red flowers that fade to a purple/pink color. Bambino Bougainvillea These have been selected from around the world and developed in Queensland, Australia. These miniatures mature at about 1 meter high and are particularly free flowering.

Climbing varieties These can be used to cover fences, walls and screens examples include Mrs. Louis Wathern - a lovely brick colored bloom, and Mrs. Butt, a deep single red.

Variegated foliage Varieties Raspberry Ice is a variegated foliage variety with bright cream stripes running through the leaves. Flowers are identical to Mrs. Butt and the combination of foliage color and flower is stunning.

Watering Techniques Bougainvilleas need adequate moisture for proper growth. Keeping the plants evenly moist, but allowing them to dry slightly between waterings is generally recommended. If plants seem reluctant to bloom, a bit of water stress will help encourage flowers to develop. This is a little tricky, but the technique involves letting the plant wilt slightly between waterings.

Watering Techniques NB: If you let the plant dry out too long though, you will damage it. As soon as flower buds appear, generally in about three or four weeks, resume normal watering. If you let a blooming bougainvillea wilt severely, it will drop its flowers. All bougainvilleas will send out water shoots, which is a vigorous shoot of new growth when the plant receives too much water. This should be pruned to maintain the compact shape of the plant. 

Bush Management & Blooming Note that, soon after planting out, very few, if any, flowers will be produced until the plant gets settled into its new location. Growth slows somewhat, generally a couple of years (sometimes more) especially after it is planted in the ground. This is not a nutritional problem. Fertilization and irrigation will likely delay flowers, however, these plants tend to bloom better when neglected.

Bush Management & Blooming The first step is to provide the plant with as much light as possible. Bougainvilleas bloom best when they receive full sun most of the day. Since bougainvilleas bloom on new growth, regularly cut them back to keep them under control and encourage branching. An ideal time to cut back bougainvillea is right after they finish a bloom period. Bougainvilleas may be kept bushy, allowed to sprawl and trail or trained on a trellis, depending on your landscaping plan

Climactic Considerations Although it is indigenous to tropical South America it can adapt to a wide range of climatic conditions, but in cool temperate regions it would need more protection and to be positioned carefully. Soil Considerations Bougainvilleas love a free-draining soil and do not like having excess water around their roots. Fertilizer high in phosphors and potassium applied in the warm season and during the rainy periods, helps to maintain the colour of the bracts, their most attractive feature, which surrounds the tiny insignificant cream colored flower. Light fertilizing with a balanced, 10-10-10 formula three/year also helps promote blooming.

Propagation Propagating bougainvilleas from cuttings is easy. The best way to identify the best quality wood for a cutting is to look for the striped bark, which will be a semi-hard wood and then take a four-node cutting. Remove all of the leaves except for the top leaf. Injure the bark of the bottom node and dip in rooting hormone and place in a media mix in small pots. Normally it takes between 2-3 months for roots to be visible at the bottom of the cuttings.

Pest & Disease overview They are seemingly free of pests and diseases and are ideal for public parks, open spaces and as screening plants in suburban gardens. They are versatile and drought tolerant, and with regular pruning they make an ideal choice for warm climate gardens.