Garden Club of Cape Coral | Container gardening with bougainvillea
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Bougainvillea are lovely plants. They come in a variety of vivid bract colors and bloom on and off throughout the year in Southwest Florida. They can grow quite tall as vines or maintained as shrubs.
The dwarf variety, Bougainvillea glabra "Helen Johnson," can be easily maintained at 3 feet by cutting the stems of spent blooms several inches after each bloom cycle. Another dwarf variety to consider is B. Sunvillea, which has a compact appearance and grows 1-3 feet.
The bracts appearing when the plant is in bloom are oftentimes mistaken for the actual flowers. However, when you peak inside the bracts, or modified leaves, there you will discover a cluster of three white flowers perching atop slender stalks.
When planting a bougainvillea in a container, proper drainage is a must. Make certain the container bottom has sufficient holes and avoid adding stones before planting in the mistaken belief that they will allow water to drain more freely. Rather, add some porous screen over the drainage holes before adding your soil. To lessen the load in larger containers, you could choose lightweight items as filler, followed by a piece of screen before adding the mix. When selecting potting soil, keep away from soils that include materials such as peat moss that might hinder drainage. Using regular potting soil or equal parts of sand and loamy soil is just fine.
Place your container in an area that enjoys full sun, that is, a minimum of six hours of sunlight each day, and you will be on your way!
Did you know? Bougainvillea have very sensitive roots; therefore, avoid disturbing the root system during planting. Your first thought might be to turn the nursery container over and tap the edge to remove the plant. Not the best idea. Instead, cut the store container away from the plant in such a way that the bougainvillea root system remains intact.
Avoid over-watering! Excess water weakens the plant and serves as an invitation not only to root rot but also to a variety of insects such as aphids and spider mites. Bougainvillea are very drought tolerant. Rather than providing frequent, light drenches of water, wait until the soil dries out and then water the plant deeply.
You can fertilize the plant using a specially made bougainvillea mix (6-8-10) or other fertilizer that not only contains nitrogen for green growth, phosphorous for healthy blooms and potassium for overall plant health but, also 5% iron and other micro-nutrients designed to promote healthy root development. Follow label instructions as to timing and application amount. A little goes a long way; therefore, avoid over-fertilizing in the mistaken belief that more will be better for the plant.
Always wear gloves when tending to your plants; otherwise, you can easily become victim to the thorns that grace their stems. Also, the sap of the stems can prove to be quite the irritant if you get any on your hands.
Many bougainvillea need a good pruning periodically to control shape and size as they grow. Use sharp, disinfected pruning shears and make cuts above new leaf nodes. Best time in Southwest Florida: late winter/early spring. You can also trim your plants after each bloom cycle to promote flowering, and any time throughout the year to remove criss-cross or crowded branches and dead or diseased wood. Make sure to discard cuttings responsibly.
Happy gardening!
Janetta Fox is a Lee County Master Gardener Volunteer and member of the Garden Club of Cape Coral. Visit us at gardenclubofcapecoral.com.