The Zimbabwean Gardener Issue 15 Summer 2015/2016 Low res | Page 6

Plant profile

Bougainvilleas
By Patsy Keevil and Morag Flight

Bougainvilleas are one of the garden’s best friends.
They come in a variety of sizes and colours and, best
of all, are water wise.
The interesting discovery

The Bougainvillea, which originates
primarily from Brazil in South America,
was named after Admiral Louis Antoine
de Bougainville (1729 – 1811), who was
the first Frenchman to circumnavigate
the globe during a three-year voyage in
the mid-1700s. Although the flagship’s
botanist, Philibert Commerson, was
the first to describe this plant in
scientific literature, he is incorrectly
credited for its discovery. It was actually
Commerson’s assistant, lover and
housekeeper, Jeanne Baret, who found
the plant growing in the hills near Rio
de Janeiro and carried it back on board.
Baret, who was more knowledgeable
about botany than Commerson, had
agreed to disguise herself as a man
in order to sail with him, and 300
other men, around the world; she was
the first woman to circumnavigate
the globe. After two years at sea, her
identity was discovered by the locals
when they anchored in Tahiti. Caught in
a dangerous predicament, Commerson
was forced to bargain with the admiral
to spare Baret’s life and to protect her
from Bougainville’s angry and lascivious
sailors. He promised Bougainville that
his name would live on in the botanical
world and named the newfound plant
after him.

Lilac time
6

The leaves, the bracts and
the flowers

It is very important to understand
the structure of the bougainvillea. It
comprises of leaves, colourful bracts and
a small white flower. In the Bougainvillea
glabra family, the little flowers can
be lilac. The bougainvillea is often
perceived as a vigorous and aggressive
climber, but the plants available today
have progressed significantly from the
older cultivars. After a great amount of
research and development, there is a
bougainvillea to suit every requirement.
They are available as container plants,
free-flowering shrubs and burgeoning
climbers that are covered in long
trusses of bracts. There is also a dwarf,
variegated variety that flourishes only in
semi-shade.
Bougainvilleas do prefer full sun, but
minor exposure to shade will not
stunt their growth. They grow better
in well-drained soil and, contrary to
popular belief, they enjoy feeding. This
is especially true for all potted varieties
such as Tropical Rainbow, Purity and
Dorphine. Feeding the dwarf varieties
every two months can result in as many
as four flushes a year. When you buy a
bougainvillea in a bag from a nursery,
be careful not to prise open the roots,
as they have small, delicate hairy roots.

Little Caroline

Carefully remove the plant from the
bag. The joy of a bougainvillea is that it
does not need to be overwatered and is
therefore a suitable water wise plant for
our gardens. They are generally diseasefree but can be attacked by mealy bug,
red spider mite and aphids.

Feeding

When applying fertiliser to a
bougainvillea, do not place granules
near the stem as it can burn and kill
the plant. Make two or three 5cm holes
around the stem, but not too close,
and pour the fertiliser into the holes
and cover; the fertiliser will slowly seep
out. For younger plants, a mere pinch
of fertiliser per hole should do. For a
larger plant, put a teaspoonful per hole.
Feed bougainvilleas in pots every two
months, and feed those in the ground
once as soon as winter has passed. Be
careful not to over fertilise.

Pruning

How to prune your bougainvillea
depends on what you want to do with
it. In general, pot plants must be kept
in shape and climbers should not be
grown up a tree, as they will destroy
the tre