I am one who do not buy plants except the one on the photo below I bought during the pandemic. I bought it to assuage myself because I knew that propagating and waiting for them to bloom would take months.
To work on a project is often fired up by an inspiration we saw, we read, we heard or experienced it ourselves. And in the case of artists and writers, a muse.
I was inspired to propagate bougainvilleas when I saw the home of my walking/jogging buddy, Tess. I was impressed how such amazing blooms enhanced the charm of her already beautiful home.
I wanted to take photos but held myself; I didn’t know Tess that well then. Nevertheless, I decided then and there that I also wanted bougainvilleas in my garden.
Earlier,I thought that bougainvilleas are wild and uncontrollable. That changed after I saw that they could be tamed, allowed to be wild, or trimmed anyway we want or even made into a bonsai.
Here are some of the flowering bougainvilleas in Tess’ home that inspired me. These are from Tess’ Facebook posts.
Well, what do you say? Aren’t the flowers amazing?
During the pandemic I was not one of the plant aficionados who bought expensive plants. Instead I propagated them from cuttings given by generous friends and neighbors.
It took a bit of trial and error. I tried YouTube suggestions without success. And I wondered: how hard could it be?
Frustrated, I just stuck cuttings in pots of soil after dipping in cinnamon powder because I know that it is a growth enhancer and hated by pests. I left a small leaf or two to indicate whether the plant is thriving if they remain fresh and intact.
Finally, Success!
I’m happy that I now have quite a variety of bougainvilleas. Here are some photos taken after 6- 8 months.
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