Bougainville aka Bunga Kertas

Women and flower are like two things that are meant to be together. I lovesss flower. No specific one though. Roses, Jasmine, Petunia, Orchid, Tulips and many more. I love waking in the morning and smell the jasmine or admiring the splashing color of bougainvillea in a sunny day. They are like part of my life. Today I want to share some facts about bougainvillea or known as “bunga kertas”.
Bougainvillea is a genus of plant named after a French navigator, Louise Antoine de Bougainville . It is a thorny, woody, flowering vine native to the Amazonian Rain Forest of South Africa. Bougainvillea are popular plants grown extensively in the tropical or warm climates. It is an evergreen vine which is just as happy spreading horizontally or hanging downwards as it is climbing upwards, it makes itself at home in almost any situation. It can be grown as a hedge, groomed as a ground cover, pruned as an espalier, trained as a tree or contained in a pot in a variety of shapes. Its trunk tends to be gnarled. The actual flower of the plant is small and generally white, but each cluster of three flowers is surrounded by three or six showy bracts that sport the bright colors associated with the plant, including pink, magenta, purple, red, orange, white or yellow. Bougainvillea are sometimes referred to as "paper flowers" because the bracts are thin and papery. Single and double flower forms are available. Double forms tend to carry their blooms near the end of the stems rather than distributing them evenly over the plant. The colourful, papery "blooms" are not flowers; they are bracts. The true flower is white, trumpet shaped and almost unnoticeable within the bracts. Bougainvilleas are available in a variety of species, each having its unique characteristics. The bloom cycles are typically four to six weeks. Bougainvillea generally blooms on new growth, each branch. As blooms begin to fade, it should be cut back to a point somewhat shorter than the desired length to encourage new growth. Bougainvillea grow best in very bright full sun and with frequent fertilization, but the plant requires little water to flower. If overwatered, it will not flower and may lose leaves or wilt. When you water Bougainvillea, it is better to thoroughly water them on occasion, rather than water them frequently with a light amount. The reason? Deep watering promotes the growth of deeper roots, which help hold the plants in the ground.Oppositely, light, frequent watering promotes the growth of shallow roots, which will not help hold the plants in the ground. Bougainvillea are relatively pest-free plants, but may suffer from worms and aphids.

ps: i've been trying to upload the photos since morning, but none of them seems to go thru. so will try again later

ps: thanks to my dear hubby, finally the pics are here. These beautiful bougenville are from my own small garden.