Ilongga Gardening 101: Bougainvillea

On my  last summer’s gardening frenzy I bought a bougainvillea shrub in full bloom from the flea market for a bargain ten bucks.  It was such a lovely piece. When it dropped its blooms, I was certain there would be more but I was disappointed.

the last of the original blooms

Then came the rains…and my bougainvillea shrub lost its leaves.
The secret to making bougainvilleas bloom lots of flowers is not to water it.  It blooms under stress.  The drier it gets, the more flowers come out.
So, after a lengthy spell of no rain and no watering from me, my beautiful bougainvillea is blooming again.

The one in my garden has blooms of   white, pink or bicolor.

Bougainvilleas are tropical flowering shrubs…They come in different colors.  The actual flower is commonly white and each set of three flowers is surrounded by bracts with the colors associated with the flowers—pink, magenta, purple, red, etc.

It is originally from South America and is named after explorer Louise Antoine Bougainville.
So enjoy this bouquet of the day from my garden to your home.