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| Hello everyone,
I was just given a new bougainvillea as an early valentines gift from my loving girlfriend. i have begun to read up on the plant but i would love to hear what any of the other owners of these plants are. also i was wondering what the specific name for the lavander or light purple variety is. i do understand the bonsai basics(i have the books) and i know the basics for this plant from my research, so i guess what im looking for is chat or some insider tips from those who are familiar with growing this variety. the links below are for a couple of pics i posted enjoy, and thanx in advance for your responses. http://i118.photobucket.com/albums/o94/hooks11/123456.jpg http://i118.photobucket.com/albums/o94/hooks11/13245.jpg |
Follow-Up Postings:
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- Posted by justeen_bonsai z7 VA (My Page) on Sat, Feb 3, 07 at 15:08
| That looks very healthy and well styled. How much do you currently know about bonsai? source? |
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| Hi Hooks That's a nice looking plant. It would be difficult to give name without seeing the bloom. No expert on color names, but I think there are at least 3 purples. Bougies love hot dry sunny locations. Mine love our summers outdoors here. I don't feed in winter, but feed frequently in spring through fall as long as they are actively growing. During the winter I let mine get bone dry. When actively growing I water frequently, as soon as the top of the soil is dry. Some commercial growers allow them to wilt and then heavy feed to promote blooming. In your photobucket page, if you copy the "tag" line, the second or middle one, your photo will show up in the message. Good luck with your plant. randy |
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| Well justeen I'm definatly not an expert however I thouroughly enjoy my trees and research non stop to better understand them. I got my first tree about 2 years ago and have not looked back. I currently have 11 trees in 8 varieties at different stages of growth and training. Two junipers ages 8 & 7yrs. Six ficus in in three varieties. One young serissa 2 yrs. One Chinese Elm 13 yrs, and this beutiful bougainvillea. As far as sources of my knowledge it varies. My closest friend started bonsai two yrs pryor to me and is the reason I began. He helped me get started. My mother and father have been gardening since my youth so thats about 16 yrs of observation and of course the yearly weeding and roto till as chores. Bonsai specific I read every reference I see on the internet and ask the questions that stump me on this forum. I have some success and some failure so far in my training techniques. I also have Yuji Yoshimura's book "Miniature Trees and Landscapes" which I find very useful. Thanks randy, I have heard that about the feeding and watering. I also read that you sould not feed untill the bracts begin to grow to promote a canopy full of bracts and flowers, also in the same post the guy said that his plants flower 6 weeks on 6 weeks off, which sounds often we shall see. As far as names what I read suggested that it is most likely a Glabra variety however when it does flower I shall post further pics to varify. Also what I read suggested that all but one of the purples were of the Glabra variety. The other purple was a hybrid variety. There was one other thing I wanted to ask. I cleaned up the dirt covering the main roots at the base of the tree. Do you think an airlayer in the next year or two would be a good idea since they have brittle roots and teasing them is not an option? With such a beutifully trained tree I dont want to ruin it, however to someday reach completion I believe the roots need a more semetrical look to them. Here are the links I used for the info I stated above. http://www.houstongardening.info/bouginfo.htm http://forums2.gardenweb.com/forums/load/bonsai/msg091121493767.html?7
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| Still hoping to hear back about the roots should air layering be considered in the future to establish more even root growth? I'm thinking they should be more semetrical. Thanks Tim |
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- Posted by gnome_in_pa Zone 6 (My Page) on Thu, Feb 8, 07 at 23:26
| Hooks, You have not seen the rest of the root system yet, correct? Layering is not the only way to improve the nebari on a tree. Selective pruning should be considered first before the somewhat drastic step of layering is considered. When you re-pot it you will have the opportunity to examine and improve the root system. Until then tale it easy, you may find you have more options than you realize. Also, this is a relatively young plant and may very well develop more roots between now and the next re-pot. Norm |
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