Bouganvilla - Gardening & Landscaping

Deana · #16 (**permalink**) 02-03-2003, 06:50 PM

Hi Nicole! Yep, I checked the branches. They practically snapped off. My dad was at our house on Saturday and he told me to clip the branches to look for green. I was so sad.
I think I might try hibiscus this year (in the same spot that we had the bogainvilla).

nicolef888 · #17 (**permalink**) 02-04-2003, 05:58 PM

Let me know how it goes with your Hibiscus. Be sure to cover it in the freeze next year as one of our neighbors had hers killed by the freeze.

Deana · #18 (**permalink**) 02-04-2003, 06:26 PM

Good point about covering, Nicole. Had I taken 5 minutes to cover my bogainvilla a few times, I wouldn't have lost it

Csara · #19 (**permalink**) 02-28-2003, 01:20 PM

Good news!! My bouganvillas are not dead!!!

They were/are just dormant. There is still green in the branches so I cut them down, moved them to a sunnier area, nourished them with some flourishing flowers plant food and gave them plenty of water. My mom has had some of her bouganvillas for 15 years and said they often go dormant for long periods of time. She wouldn't let me give up on them....I'm so thankful!!

audrirene · #20 (**permalink**) 03-02-2003, 06:04 PM

I had great sucess with them in Vegas. I planted it in the ground with morning sun exposure next to the house. I only watered it til it was established. After that it only got water from the condensation from the ac that ran off the roof. I didn't realize it was going to be self watering! This thing was enormous. 20 feet tall, 10 feet wide. It started from a gallon pot. They are drought tolerant so you don't have to water them all the time. They will accept as little or as much as you will give them. They can freeze over, but if you live somewhere with mild winters, they will be okay. You might want to prune some of the old growth, because the thorns are majorly painful when they get old!!! My bunny use to eat it all the way down to the ground but a few weeks later it was back. Once the bunny ran away, that is when it got enormace!!!!

nicolef888 · #21 (**permalink**) 03-02-2003, 11:11 PM

Yay!!! That's great news C!!!

jennyc · #22 (**permalink**) 05-09-2003, 10:29 AM

I planted a bouganvilla this spring and it's growing like a weed but no blooms. Should I be cutting it back or giving it a specific food...or should I just be thankful that it's growing? We live in San Antonio so we are fine on the humidity factor. I can attest to that! Any help is appreciated.

Thanks

nicolef888 · #23 (**permalink**) 05-13-2003, 09:51 PM

Hi Jenny,

Welcome to the board. Sometimes it takes a little while for the blooms to appear especially if it's a new plant. Definitely don't cut it back during the growing season, this is usually done in the early spring. Yes, you should fertilize it every 6-8 weeks. I just use a regular balanced plant food that you can buy at the grocery store such as Miracle Grow. That reminds me...it's about time to fertilize my Bongainvillias.

C, how are your Bongainvillias doing?

livia · #24 (**permalink**) 07-24-2003, 04:34 PM

I just purchased a bougainville, and used tips I found on this thread.
At first my poor bougainville looked as if it was going to fade away
just after bringing it home, and then I planted moss over the soil in
its pot. It almost instantly revived itself. The only problem is that I
bought irish moss which is a perennial, and living in southern California
it gets a lot of sun, and now it looks as if the moss is fading.
Does anyone have advice on how to cultivate peat moss?
Thanks!

Jester · #25 (**permalink**) 09-03-2003, 02:15 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by nicolef888
C, how are your Bongainvillias doing?

C moved the bouganvilla's from their pots in the backyard and replanted them in the ground in our frontyard and they are doing much better.

Its odd because we get more sunlight in the back too.

dolphintat · #26 (**permalink**) 11-19-2003, 12:42 PM

Hi

I have recently relocated to Doha, Qatar from the UK with my husband and 3 kids who still live at home - all boys!!! I must say my boys have never been happier, amazing what some space and sunshine can do for one.

Anyway enough rambling.

I love gardening and grew up with a mom and Gran who were born with green fingers, so love a beautiful garden.

I have moved into a five bedroom villa and have extensive grounds and garden. I have started several projects with my gardener, who, bless him does all the hard work. I take his advise most of the time, but on this occasion I am unsure of what he has told me.

I have 2 bougainvillea growing in my garden on each side of my entrance gate, they grow up against a 7 foot brick wall, they are planted in the ground not pots. One a fairly new plant maybe a year old and one ancient one 20 years+. The newer plant is a dark maroon red and the older one a white/pink. They are both looking sickly especailly the old one. My gardener tells me it is too old and needs to be removed and I should replace it with a new plant.

I however know that my aunt in South Africa has a bougainvillea in her garden that is easily as old as me (older than mine). Mine are both flowering, but only sparsely. Her's is beautiful and full of blooms and leaves ( her son studied botany - lucky lady and he maintains her garden). However, I am unable to contact him for advise as he is away.

Our climate here is always hot winter 30 Deg C/ 86 Deg F with no humidity and summer is 52 Deg C/125.6 Deg F with between 95 - 100 % humidity. Does anyone have any advise for me. They do not seem to have seen much care. All this water a lot, don't water too much. Prune hard, don't prune too hard. Feed, don't fed has me confused :

nicolef888 · #27 (**permalink**) 11-19-2003, 06:16 PM

How often do you water it? I know that Bogainvilla's like A LOT of water especially if they are in a hot climate.

dolphintat · #28 (**permalink**) 11-19-2003, 09:58 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by nicolef888
How often do you water it? I know that Bogainvilla's like A LOT of water especially if they are in a hot climate.

They are watered every evening, and lots of it.

nicolef888 · #29 (**permalink**) 11-19-2003, 11:41 PM

As a start, I would fertilize the bogainvilla and see what happens. It sounds like it's getting enough water. One thing I have noticed is that they don't like to be pruned.

dolphintat · #30 (**permalink**) 11-20-2003, 12:37 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by nicolef888
As a start, I would fertilize the bogainvilla and see what happens. It sounds like it's getting enough water. One thing I have noticed is that they don't like to be pruned.

Thanks for the advise, we fertilized the whole garden with camel dung fertilizer about 5 weeks ago. Is there anything specific I should use, or do you think the camel dung enough. Everything else is flourishing, but not the bougainvillea.