I know this is short notice, but Centro SA is giving away the bougainvilleas they had hanging from the poles downtown today at Travis Park until 3:00pm. Right now it's one per person, but someone I sent to get me another one (it's like chips . . . you can't have just one!), told me the park people said to come back after 2:30pm for seconds.
So far, I've got 2 in the trunk of my car, one on top of my cabinet at work, and will be going back here in a bit to get 2-3 more. I'll post pictures once I get them offloaded from the car after work.
That being said . . . anyone know how best to care for these? I don't know about varieties . . . but they have 3 plants per pot, and each is a different color - so they said.
Bougainvilleas in San Antonio
Congrats on your 'score'!! I don't know much about these but thought this link may be of interest... http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/702716/ Good luck! pod
I know that they love sun and they are frost tender.
Thanks podster - I feel better now for the abuse I know I'll put some of these through!
Well, here they are. They look pretty sad, especially the three in the front. 4 of them have 3 plants each, the other 2 have 2 plants each - supposedly each a different color.
Sorry the light isn't better. It looked brite on the camera, or else I would have taken another one with a flash.
Note to self . . . post picture, THEN press Send!
Do you have a good spot to overwinter them? Or are you going to leave them outdoors?
It's either leave them outside, or put them in the garage. I'm open to either option at this point. I'll need to do a bit more searching - repot now vs. spring, etc.
I think you enjoy the "learning" experience. Hope to see the magnificent blooms next summer. Best wishes... pod
Wait until spring to repot. Growth will slow down and the danger of overwatering in a newly re-potted plant is real. My searches on bouganvilleas led me to believe that they wouldn't survive winters in 8b planted in the ground, but some varieties do and my 8b temperatures are colder than yous because I live out in the country. You have the advantage of urban heat.
Potted plants, however, need to go inside somewhere even if it's only when temperatures get close to freezing.
Inside it is, then. Probably the garage. It does not get very cold in there, even during cold fronts. That's where I was going to put some plant lights anyway.
Thanks everyone for your assitance!
I've left mine outside but protected from the north wind. Like you say Syrumani, it doesnt get very cold here
Not for too long, anyway! I did bring them in last night, just in case.
I'm going to take one of the scraggly looking ones and repot it this weekend . . . see how it reacts afterward. There's one that has alot of leaves (compared to others), the roots have separated from the pot. I'd like to get that one repotted as soon as possible, but would like to see how the other one reacts first.
I'll leave 4 of them alone until Spring like bettydee suggested.
How cold did it get there last night? Here it got down to 30ºF out in the open and 34ºF under the large live oaks.
Officially, I'm not sure. I do know my computer said 32 . . . and I think thats real temperature, not with wind chill.
mine are way too big to move so i just mulch them and cover with a paper like cloth and hope for the best. they've done well for the last few years
That's good to know, Anaid. What size pots are yours in? What type of exposure do they get?
the pots are some that I obtained from a landscaper who was doing some apartments in the area of my work. It held a tree so u can imagine how big it is. They get pretty much shaded sun but at certain points there is direct sun. I will move them to a more sunnier area next year cuz one of the pots that I got from the landscaper is a really huge one (looks like a hot tub) and I plant to half bury it and then put all my Bouganvilleas in it in the middle of one side of my property. The family kids use to use it as a football field so its gonna have lots of room to spread out. Im mixing all my bougies since I couldnt make up my mind which color I liked best.....