AusBonsai

It is Minus 2 here in the Central Highlands in the mornings and day temps 8-14 and if you leave a fig out the leaves blacken and the tree dies. So to see a Bougainvillea putting on flowers is unusual...........to say the least. Bougy's should not grow here but try telling that to this little "Smartypants". Deserves plaudits for being alive let alone flowering.

Sometimes a plant will throw flowers and seed when it's under extreme stress... as a way of continuing when the weather improves... Do you think it might be screaming for help?

I know when we're in drought here the plants often flower more spectacularly....

I have lots out at the moment, but i am nowhere as cold as you are there

Ken

melbrackstone wrote:.. Do you think it might be screaming for help?

I have had the tree for 15 years now, it never really grows but does this on the odd occasion.

kcpoole wrote:I have lots out at the moment, but i am nowhere as cold as you are there

Ken

I would love to grow them but they usually die here..except this one.

I have had the tree for 15 years now, it never really grows but does this on the odd occasion.

I'm so glad to read that!

My smarty pants has two bracts at the moment as well. Although my winter is alot more mild than yours obviously

After posting this article i put my little "Smarty pants" in my Atrium next to the fish pond and, not being a tree i need to work on, promptly forgot about it. Now the said tree faded from my memory but i loved the pot it was in and wanted to use it for another tree for our show. I looked for the tree every where and wondered where it had disappeared to. Mounting a search this morning, i found it on the bottom of the pond and weed had completely covered it to look like a part of the pond. Now check the date of the first posting and the complete coverage of algae over the tree i deduced it has been in there for quite a while. as i went to pull the tree out of the pot, thinking it was dead I spotted green growth under the algae Upon reflection i cannot remember watering it at all and the obvious came to me, My young heeler who always follows me around, has knocked the tree into the pond after checking what i had put there, but she ain't saying A true story of how tough these little buggers are, submerged for three odd months and still going