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Produce => Non Edible Plants => Topic started by: gazza1960 on April 22, 2014, 19:58:35
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http://plants4presents.co.uk/Bougainvillea.aspx
We came across this beautiful flowering plant in Cyprus a few moons ago and although we tried to grow 1 plant on our
plot in Middlesex it only lasted 1 season and I guess due to me not greenhousing it over winter it came to grief.
anyway,I found this link above for a supplier in sussex as we thought about trying to pot grow one or two plants out the front of the new house during the spring and summer months as the front gets plenty of sunshine from mid day onwards.
just wondered if others had attempted growing it in our UK climate and how it survived ....Good or Bad !!!!!!!!!!!!
cheers
Gazza
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One of the gardens I worked, in their conservatory they had potted Bouganvillea..it wasn't looked after that well but did managed to flower every summer. Then the owners managed to kill it by too much moisture and too low temps in unheated room during winter...that's when I 'stepped' in. I bought new one for them..potted it up into much larger pot and with 'proper' soil, that being more of loam based compost with added sand and grit for good drainage. I looked after the plant last 5 years and without wanting to sound big headed...it flourished and was truly beautiful thing. It was trained around simple cane supports and each spring just as the new growth started to emerge, it got good 'hear cut' to get rid of old straggly growth, mainly the spent flower heads. Although the plant did loose most of its leaves during winter, but because its roots didn't sit in cold and wet compost (just barely damp) it was able to take the low temp. In summer it stood near the open conservatory doors...sometimes getting almost baked by hot temperatures, but it didn't mind.
On one occasion it suffered aphid attack that came from other plant nearby..and it was lot of work to get rid of them.
I managed to keep the plant reasonably small too..with lot of winding around it supports I didn't allow it grow taller than 6-7 ft.
So, yes you can grow them in UK and successfully too, they just need some winter protection.
Go for it!
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In Zimbabwe they almost grew wild and very drought resistant so dont over-water if you do grow here. Also dont stand on their thorns - they release a slight bit of poison and it hurts for days...
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Cheers folks that's the enthusiastic response I was hoping for,,!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Each year when we go to our villa in Cyprus the owners have all manner of colours that are stunning to the eye,so we would like
a couple of decent sized pots of Bouganvillea in front of our home to hopefully give it some colour.
Gazza
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i have had a pot grown bougainvillea growing in my sitting room for about 20 years now. It is a dwarf variegated form which I have never seen for sale since. Last year I managed to get a shoot, broken off by accident, to root which is now flowering its little heart out. It only grows to about 2 ft high but has large flowers, and the variegated foliage provides interest when it is not in flower.