Bougainvillea is the most colorful plant and also the most preferred plant by gardeners worldwide.
Plant Summary:
Bougainvillea belongs to Nyctaginaceae family. It is a native of Brazil and was discovered in 1760 by botanist Philibert Commerson. He named it Bougainvillea in honor of his friend, who was a multi-faceted person from Canada Louis A. de Bougainville. The flower is also referred to as paper flowers.
The plant is an evergreen vine and a mature plant’s stems can become knotted and wooded. Bougainvillea grows to a height of 10 – 15 feet. The branches have thorns and cascade with cluster of flowers. Hence it is preferred to grow n hanging baskets, on hedges, or on arches.
The leaves are dark green and ovate. The plant blooms throughout the year and the flowers are white small tubular flowers. These flowers are covered by bracts. The bracts are red, purple, white, orange, pink, or double hued. There are over 300 varieties of bougainvillea.
Propagation:
Bougainvillea can be grown from root cuttings and branch cuttings. Plant the cuttings in shade. Later plant them where the plant gets ample sunshine. It is drought tolerant plant and prefers warm climate year round. They thrive is all types of soil, but the soil must be well-drained and fertile.
The Bougainvillea can be trained as a tree or a bonsai.
