Hey folks! I could really use your help with a couple of plant-related questions:
1. My indoor bougainvillea was thriving last summer, but sadly it's lost all its petals and is looking bare now. I've been feeding it some baby bio and watering it carefully, but there are no signs of new growth just yet. Any tips on how to revive it?
2. We want to remove our current Ivy tree and replace it with a hardy, attractive tree that has colorful features year-round. Our soil is quite chalky and the area is south-facing. What are some good tree options to consider?
Bonus question: We also have a lot of Ivy growing in our hedges. Any suggestions on how to keep that under control? Thanks so much for any help you can provide!
3 Answers
I can't offer much on reviving the bougainvillea except to check for any pests in the soil. For an interesting tree, consider ones that have flowers, autumn colors, and winter shapes! Some cool options are maples, apple trees, pears, or if you can find it, a Platycarya. They all bring different seasons of interest!
For colorful evergreen trees, I’d suggest looking into options like Beech or Elm, which do pretty well in chalky soils. A copper beech in summer is gorgeous! Just make sure to pick an Elm variety that can resist Dutch elm disease. Oh, and Whitebeams are nice if you want a smaller tree with some character!
Thanks a lot for the advice, much appreciated.
I prefer Whitebeam because you can find more upright varieties. Beech can create shade, which might not be ideal!
Has your bougainvillea been through a winter outside before? They usually need to be around 10C at night to survive. As for a tree near your house, Birch is a great option since it doesn't cast too much shade and has a lovely bark texture.
Yes, it has survived winters before, so I'm not sure what went wrong this time. Thanks for the Birch suggestion!
Thank you! I'll definitely look into those options!