Brilliant Bougainvillea from a post titled Welcome Summer! by Salvatore Liporace. I cropped it for a closer look. The original is below.
Not only are Bougainvilleas brilliant when flowering, but they are easy to grow. That is if you live in a tropical or subtropical climate. Here in the North, wintering is a challenge, which isn’t that much different than with many other tropical or subtropical bonsai.
When it comes to care, two things stand out. Bougs are sun lovers and they don’t like to stay wet for too long. In order for Bougainvilleas to flourish and most importantly to flower, direct sunlight is essential. Plenty of direct sunlight. Particularly in the summer. If you winter a Boug indoors, you’ll need a very bright spot for it to remain healthy.
When it comes to not staying wet, soil with good drainage is essential as is drying down between waterings. Like with almost all bonsai, you can go overboard by allowing the soil to become bone dry for too long while in the hot sun, but still, drying down between watering is essential. This can make growing Bougs in wet climates a real challenge.
All the photos in this post are from Salvatore Liporace’s facebook photos.
Bougainvillea bracts and flowers. The pink petals aren't really flowers, they're bracts (a modified or specialized leaf). The little white things that look like flowers, are in fact, the flowers.
Though it may depend on the species, mature Boungainvilleas often have whitish bark.
The uncropped original. With companion.
Our Stupendous Bonsai Book and DVD Sale ends soon
as does our Copper Wire Sale
25% off all our of our Bonsai Books and DVDs (other books too)
with an extra 10% off orders 100.00+
discounts are off our already discounted prices
Plus FREE Shipping on U.S. orders 49.00 or more
New lower shipping rates on all other orders