Bouganvillias Hybrids $18

It’s hard to beat a bougainvillea for bright, vivid colour during the warmer months. They love to scramble up walls and trellises and - if you let them – can take up a lot of space! But what if you have a small garden and would still love to grow a bougainvillea? Well, here’s an idea – try a dwarf variety in a pot!

Dwarf bougainvillea are just as flamboyant as the larger varieties and are available in all kinds of colours but only grow up to about 1-2 metres high so will stay nice and compact. 

What looks like flowers on the bougainvillea are actually brightly-coloured bracts – or modified stems. They’re protecting the real flowers which are the tiny, white little things poking out from the centre.

Prune bougainvilleas once they’ve finished flowering after winter. This will help to train them into the shape you want and will also encourage more growth and flowers. You can also keep them tidy during the year by tip-pruning and removing any spent flower heads.

So, for a big explosion of colour in a small space, it’s hard to go past a potted dwarf bougainvillea!