Hardy Tropicals UK

Just looking on Vale exotics web site and came across Bougainvillea Sanderiana. It says Hardiest Bougainvillea with violet flowers 9 litre bush for £20.00.

I did not think Bougainvillea was hardy. I have seen it growing in parts of Spain as a climber and it looks lovely.

http://www.vale-exotics.co.uk/shop/item ... =Ligustrum

None of the Bougainvillea family are hardy.

However B. glabra 'sanderiana' probably is the hardiest. Mines still alive after this winter just gone, but it's bare now, it'll grow back for sure.

To be honest though unless you can provide with super drainage and shelter from rain I wouldn't bother, unless you have it as a houseplant, or conservatory specimen.

I've seen really thick-trunked bougainvilleas. They must have some hardiness, but the general winter cold and low light could be a problem.

There was a fairly hardy Bougainvillea that flowered every year in a garden in west end near Southampton.

This one had yellow flowers and gave a good show during the better summers.

It was about 14 feet in height and spread but was killed during the terrible winter cold of January 1987.

But it goes to show that at least one variety is fairly hardy here and could be grown again maybe in the City center on a south facing wall with overhead glass cover for protection from rain or hail.

As I live in a frost hollow it will not be possible for me to try it and anyway I don't know what the yellow flowering species was called.

billdango

I have seen a few growing outside in central London & have grown them myself outside in Portsmouth. You need a hot & sunny south facing wall, that is also in an extremely sheltered spot & very well draining soil. If you could keep it dry during the winter it may do ok in Southampton. It will probably be deciduous though & this was the main problem with mine, in that it survived the winters, but when trying to grow new leaves in the spring they were promptly eaten by snails...

Here it is still is full leaf after winter, and it's in very dry soil at the moment, so it will be fine in Southampton I think, if given shelter.

billdango wrote:There was a fairly hardy Bougainvillea that flowered every year in a garden in west end near Southampton.

This one had yellow flowers and gave a good show during the better summers.

It was about 14 feet in height and spread but was killed during the terrible winter cold of January 1987.

But it goes to show that at least one variety is fairly hardy here and could be grown again maybe in the City center on a south facing wall with overhead glass cover for protection from rain or hail.

As I live in a frost hollow it will not be possible for me to try it and anyway I don't know what the yellow flowering species was called.

billdango

I have never seen before yellow bougainvillea, yes orange.
Violet bougainvilleas are always more hardy than other colors like red, pink, white, etc.