A stunningly beautiful plant that we grow in hanging baskets for full sun (although I did see our hanging baskets in a very shady spot and it looked beautiful). Most bougainvillea sold are varieties that can have very long branches (Barbara Karst and others) but we grow much shorter varieties from Puerto Rico which are perfectly suited for hanging baskets/pots. These newer varieties bloom on shorter stems and I believe bloom heavier.
Here are the bougainvillea we grow.
Vera Purple
Vera Lynn
Sunstone Red for 2018
The care for bougainvillea is simple . . . don’t over water or keep them soggy. Allow soil to dry before the next watering. Fertilize every other week unless leaves turn yellow too often then try weekly fertilizing. This plant will bloom continuously unless we have too many cloudy/rainy/cool days. The blossoms may all drop but don’t panic, as soon as the sun/heat return this beauty will re flower. Allow the hanging basket/pot to dry out if there was too much rain and then fertilize. Use our fertilizer #21 for best results. Don’t despair. Watch for aphids in the growing tips and underside of leaves. Use a Bayer Advanced insecticide from any store.
I posted this picture a few years ago to show how large the older varieties can grow. This variety is Barbara Karst in a large 14 inch hanging basket that was pruned heavily.
Stunning!
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