Bougainvillea
The most colour per litre of water of anything in a Saudi garden.
- Scientific name: Bougainvillea glabra
- Family: Four o'clock family
Bougainvillea returns more colour for less water and attention than any other ornamental. What look like flowers are actually coloured bracts around a small white bloom, which is why the display lasts for weeks. It climbs walls or clips into a standing shrub.
At a glance
- Plant typeClimbing shrub
- WateringEvery 1–2 weeks
- LightFull sun
- Comfortable range20 – 38 °C
- Height3 – 5 m
- Spread1 – 5 m
- FloweringSummer and autumn
- Growth rateFast
Care guide
Watering
Every one to two weeks, no more. This is where most gardens go wrong: generous watering buys dense green growth and almost no colour. A degree of controlled thirst is what pushes it to flower.
Light and heat
Full sun, and the more the better for colour. It needs no protection from summer heat.
Soil and feeding
Free-draining soil. Use a balanced feed at quarter strength every three to four weeks in the growing season and every six weeks in winter. Excess nitrogen in particular kills the flowering.
Pruning
Prune in early spring: clear dead stems, open it up for airflow and cut back to healthy nodes. Regular pruning is what keeps it flowering and in shape rather than collapsing into a tangle.
Propagation
Cuttings in spring or summer. Not the easiest for a beginner — it wants steady moisture and good drainage, and new growth is the sign it has rooted.
In Saudi conditions
If there is one spot in the garden that gets no regular irrigation and full sun all day, bougainvillea is the first candidate. Just mind the thorns when siting it beside a path or entrance.
Common problems
- Lush leaves and no flowers — too much water or nitrogen, not too little
- Sharp thorns, which make placement near walkways a planning question
- Mealybug and scale hidden inside the tangle
- Loss of shape and unruly growth if pruning is skipped
Need a hand?
Training bougainvillea onto a wall or trellis and its annual prune are part of our landscaping work.
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