Bougainvillea

[victoria]

I thought I would start a new thread and put up a few pics up of my Bougainvilleas, which bloom at different times ...











My pride and joy three-colour standard ...



I am editing this to add the Bush variety which is quite rare here ....



... and whilst looking for it found another couple of nice ones of the one against the house ...





... it's the one Jim looks at through the office/guest room window ....

[kedigato]

Gor-geous!

I'm not really keen on the white ones, but all the others have such stunning colours and give such a beautiful show.

[victoria]

I'm not 100% with the white ones, Sis, but they actually fade to pink/green as they develop so are quite interesting.

I just love the burnt orange one ... I have it intermingled with the white one (you can just see a bit of a bracht on the white picture) and a tiny almost double-flowered purple/red one which I don't seem to have a photo of. Not sure what will be blooming when you are next here as so many have been devastated by the heavy rains and high winds as they can be quite fragile just being 'paperlike'.

PS The two pics that are signed LoL are the same shrub, the one against the house.

PPS Just thought ... must find a pic of the Bush, quite a rarity and will modify and post above.

[pete]

As you know Victoria, this is a plant that I've not had much success with in the past, yours look great by the way, particualrly like the yellow/orange one.

I think I've now worked out the difference between spectabilis and glabra types.

I actually had a pot grown spectabilis that flowered for about 4 months this year, which I think did really well, this is it.


Also this one which I think is one of the Glabra types, much more compact and not really so spectacular, but a good pot plant

[DAG]

What a fantastic thread this is! Pete and Victoria, you have provided such a beautifully coloured display and at a time of the year when we couldn't have needed it more!

Thank you both so much.

[victoria]

Pete, to be honest, I don't know if mine are the glabra or spectablis ... and ask me if I care ... ;D ;D ;D

Srtongy has one I think.

I am amazed you get yours to bloom ... no, I'm not .... xx

[kedigato]

Really pretty, Pete. I guess you had it outside the whole summer and have brought it inside now?

We used to have a huge one planted in the Wintergarten floor. The paving stones can be pulled up and plants planted directly in the soil. It was about 2.5M tall (to the ceiling) and then went along to one side about 3M. It was one massive wall of colour (the regular purple) but the mess when it threw the old blooms off was dreadful. After quite a few years, we cut it back, dug it out and gave it away.

Don't know if I have any pics, it was before the digi days and I didn't used to photograph much then. Still, I'll have a look.

[pete]

Strongy is the man, when it comes to sorting out the species. ;D

The spectabilis is shivering under a blanket just now, but it got through last winter OK like that.

I'm sure mine would do better if I was able to plant them out Kedi rather than pot grow, in fact I might try that, I could plant one next to my strelitzia that gets winter protection, could then cut it back hard each autumn, good idea.

[shadowdragon]

Beautiful photos but I am particularly taken by the window photo.

[kedigato]

This is the colour that I think is so pretty. It is growing in the very corner of the Florida garden and I must try to train it to grow along the back wall of the garden instead of up in the air like this.

[DAG]

Well it looks lovely against that sky!

[victoria]

Gorgeous pic Sis, lovely colour, and we have this problem of them 'growing up in the air' ! You must put serious hooks in the walls to attach them to for training.

[kedigato]

Thanks DAG and Sis.

We put a strong wire through rings all along the 150 meters of the back wall on our last trip. We are now trying to train the Bourgainvilleas on both corners to grow along the wire and actually this one has quite covered the end section already. Just this one branch thought it was a beanstalk and took off in the wrong direction. We'll pull it down soon and tie it on to the wire with the rest.

I'm still looking for other vines, preferably with thorns ;D, to put along other open sections, and so raise the height of the wall like that. Oh, the Cup & Saucer seeds never sprouted, Sis. Think I only sowed half of them, so must give the rest a go.

[kedigato]

Bourgainvillaes loose their leaves in the winter over here in Florida. This is how one of our two looks at the moment -

[victoria]

For the most part, some of them do that here Sis, but I must say not that drastic! Mine are still all green, just with very few colourful brachts.

I think you need to do a seriously drastic cutback on it, down to within 50cm-1m of the main stem before you leave. They 'bloom' on the new year's growth. It should then be lush and fantastically coloured when you return.