A couple Bougainvilleas in development

[jonathanvperth]

I think bougainvilleas are great for Bonsai but there is a lot of misinformation out there about them- “keep them dry!!” “They can’t be killed!!” “They grow like mad!!”

I water mine plenty, although I live in a hot, dry and windy climate. I haven’t killed any yet but I’ve thrown plenty in the bin. If they grow so much why don’t we see much better examples? Some grow great and others barely creep by

I’m ranting a bit now. The same things are said about many varieties of plants. I know they have respect because they’ve won (pretty sure) the kokofu.

If you enjoy clip and grow, big changes in a single season and beautiful flowers then get yourself about 10 bougainvilleas- big cuttings, yard-a-dori or pre-bonsai stock....see what grows and get rid of the rest

 

[thumblessprimate1]

I think bougainvilleas are great for Bonsai but there is a lot of misinformation out there about them- “keep them dry!!” “They can’t be killed!!” “They grow like mad!!”

I water mine plenty, although I live in a hot, dry and windy climate. I haven’t killed any yet but I’ve thrown plenty in the bin. If they grow so much why don’t we see much better examples? Some grow great and others barely creep by

I’m ranting a bit now. The same things are said about many varieties of plants. I know they have respect because they’ve won (pretty sure) the kokofu.

If you enjoy clip and grow, big changes in a single season and beautiful flowers then get yourself about 10 bougainvilleas- big cuttings, yard-a-dori or pre-bonsai stock....see what grows and get rid of the rest

There are some excellent examples of large penjing, but I've seen a few good bougainvillea in Japan.

 

[vp999]

I love them and have a couple my self, one haven't flowered again since I bought it about 4 years ago mo matter what i do and the other I got last year that still flowers indoor sporadically. Gonna try to give them more sun this year. I would love to get a monster trunk one but they're hard to come by in MD. If you wanna sell any of yours let me know.

 

[jonathanvperth]

I love them and have a couple my self, one haven't flowered again since I bought it about 4 years ago mo matter what i do and the other I got last year that still flowers indoor sporadically. Gonna try to give them more sun this year. I would love to get a monster trunk one but they're hard to come by in MD. If you wanna sell any of yours let me know.

You are miles ahead! You know how to keep them alive in a bitterly cold environment. Get in touch with someone in Florida and get a monster trunk in the mail. Adam Lavign is a great guy and will surely get you connected.

 

[jonathanvperth]

Y

There are some excellent examples of large penjing, but I've seen a few good bougainvillea in Japan.

Yeah I’ve seen the Chinese have some great examples, check alibaba. And the Japanese too but in general I think they aren’t appreciated

 

[Carol 83]

Nice trees. Bougies are my favorite. Since they have to come inside for the winter here, I am restricted by space and would have to build an addition to the house or a greenhouse to keep such large ones.

 

[thumblessprimate1]

Y

Yeah I’ve seen the Chinese have some great examples, check alibaba. And the Japanese too but in general I think they aren’t appreciated

Yeah, in the USA there is good material but not enough focus on good development of nebari and branch structure. Many only care about just having a big trunk and a bouquet of flowers. Then there's the art aspect which is challenging. I think even with good nebari or branching, a certain tree still might not even be attractive.

Just my thoughts while I sip coffee during these precious few minutes of free time

 

[Indoor Trees]

I have one that was recently repotted, are the root balls always so small?

 

[jonathanvperth]

I have one that was recently repotted, are the root balls always so small?

Yes. In my experience there’s not much roots on them. I have dug a couple old ones and their surprisingly sparse of roots

 

[Indoor Trees]

Thanks for the response. Jonathan.

 

[greenman63]

Bougainvillea do very well when rootbound. They do well with good fertilizer like Bougain. My hat's off to any of you that can keep one going in cold climates. They're fine down to near freezing but they really thrive in the hot sun.

This is my smallest one, a Hot Tomato bougainvillea i propagated from a cutting about six or seven years ago. It stays in direct sunlight most of the day on my south-facing porch.