Unlike most flowering plants, the bougainvillea is not the preferred choice of gardening enthusiasts. Many of us ignore its versatile nature. The bougainvillea plant can add rich colour to a tropical home garden, with very little effort. Bougainvillea’s flowering peaks in winter, unlike many common garden plants and they can be grown as potted plants, hanging plants, and even bonsais. They make for great hedge plants too, as they have woody stems, dense foliage, thorns, and the potential of growing up to 10-15 feet.
An individual who has a soft corner for the bougainvillea plant is Suseela Vergis, who has over 300 bougainvillea plants in over 40 variants in her garden. Suseela’s home has bougainvillea variants in an assortment of colours — orange, purple, mauve, red, pink, white, yellow and in multi-colour combinations too. One of her variants has five colours in its bracts. Other varieties include dwarf bougainvilleas, climbers, trailers and thorn-less variants like the ‘pixie’ that has small leaves and flowers in a bottlebrush cluster.
The tiny flowers of the bougainvillea plant are hidden behind their colourful bracts, and these bracts are easily mistaken as its flowers. “The tiny flowers hold nectar that attracts butterflies. As the plant doesn’t seem to attract aphids and other pests it is easy to manage,” says Suseela. “One must carefully time the manuring. Else, they won’t flower well,” she adds. Suseela recommends manuring only twice a year and using potassium-rich manure as potassium enhances flowering. “You can also use regular NPK (Nitrogen, Phosphorous, and Potassium) manure in the form of compost/vermicompost/cow dung manure after the flowering season, to promote growth of new shoots. If you add NPK manure before the flowering season it would interfere with flowering as it increases shoot growth”, she says. These plants must be sparingly watered every day — just enough to keep the top soil damp and the soil should be well drained as well.
