The bougainvillea is not just a real eye-catcher.
It also provides a colorful greeting from the home garden and transforms many a dreary wall into a flowering vista of good taste.
If you like colorful plants, you can't go past the bougainvillea.
As common as the flowering shrub is, it is simply a classic on Mallorca. Our expert has put together some tips on how to care for it properly.
The bougainvillea blends so well into Mallorca's landscape that, although it originates from the tropical forests of South America, it is ideal for planting in very sunny areas. This beautiful plant has spines on its trunk that allow it to cling to various surfaces. In warm areas with low humidity it is normal for it to lose its leaves in winter (deciduous), whereas in more tropical areas with high humidity it will overwinter. If you water your bougainvillea regularly, it will hardly lose its leaves.A very striking feature is the intense colors. The leaves are very small and are usually white-yellow, which matches the magnificent tones of the leaves, which have been modified to envelop the leaves: So-called portrait leaves that look like paper-like structures.
The neater, the more beautiful.
The first thing to remember is that it likes to support itself. Then she looks for a wall, an arch or another surface that helps her to develop. There is also the mini Thai variety, which does not climb but grows bushy. Of course, you can also prune a traditional bougainvillea so that it has a bushy, hanging or even creeping shape from the start.
The plant loves full sun; although it tolerates drought well, it is very grateful, and if you water it regularly (without overdoing it), it will show its beautiful colors (of pink, red, purple, orange, yellow and white) that are so striking in midsummer. If you water too much, the leaves will fall off, even if the flowers and bracts remain intact. It is ideal not to wet the leaves or the stem and only water the substrate.
The most commonly grown varieties in Mallorca are Bougainvillea glabra, Bougainvillea spectabilis and Bougainvillea peruviana. The first tolerates temperatures down to 0°C, the others do not tolerate temperatures below 7 or 8°C. The glabra is the most commonly used variety in horticulture because of its hardiness, although the leaves of the spectabilis are darker green. They normally tolerate temperatures above 35°C. They need a well-drained soil (like most plants) with sufficient organic material such as humus. It prefers calcareous soils, which makes it an ideal plant for cultivation on the islands due to the composition of our soil with a pH of over 7.5. Above all, however, it needs plenty of light.
The bougainvillea is considered a fast-growing plant with very lush and colorful flowers.As in other areas, the world of horticulture is constantly experimenting with creativity and ideas, creating new colors (e.g. red for bougainvilleas) and playing with new shapes.
At the Can Juanito nursery in Son Ferriol, we also have some tree-shaped bougainvillea varieties that add a different touch to the gardens.
Visit the large exhibition area with a variety of plants
and trees.
Son Ferriol, Palma open daily
