Bouvardia

The Bouvardia flower is a houseplant that belongs to the Madder family. In the wild, these are constantly green herbaceous bushes, as well as shrubs. In addition, the plant blooms very beautifully. The area where bouvardia grows is mainly a tropical and subtropical climate, more specifically, it is Central America and Mexico.

Bouvardia: description

Bouvardia: photo of an indoor flower

The stem of a houseplant Bouvardia can reach from half a meter to one and a half meters in height, depending on the type, variety and growing conditions of the culture. Shoots can be either straight or branching slightly. The plant is also characterized by sparsely located internodes. The leaves grow opposite each other and reach sizes from 3 to 10 cm. The shape of the leaves is wide lanceolate, sometimes elongated, oval leaves with a pointed tip are found. To the touch, the leaves have a leathery smooth surface. A very long flowering period characterizes this plant, which lasts all summer until the first frost. Sometimes it happens that the flower begins to bloom in winter. The flowering plant looks very beautiful and resembles a bouquet of many flowers. The diameter of one flower is large enough, it can be equal to 15 cm. Each flower has four separate petals.

Bouvardia flower: home care

The houseplant Bouvardia home is no longer as popular as it used to be. The reason for this is not clear, since the plant is unpretentious and undemanding to care for, moreover, it is available for growing even for beginners.

Light

Bouvardia, like any houseplant that blooms, needs high-quality lighting, but at the same time it is afraid of direct sunlight. If the flower is on a sunny windowsill, then it is necessary to make some kind of shelter, and if the place is dark enough, then it is better to create artificial lighting.

Temperature

The room where the bouvardia grows should have a temperature of about 20 or 24 degrees. If your plant belongs to a variety that does not differ in flowering in winter, then during this cold period it is necessary to provide it with peace, which means that it should be placed in a room where the air temperature will not exceed 10 degrees, but also will not be below this mark, so that the leaves are not frozen.

Bouvardia: watering at home

Any living organism needs moisture. The room bouvardia is no exception. It is necessary to water it regularly, but in moderation. It is important here to focus on the topsoil so that it is not wet, but water it when it dries out about 2 cm in depth. This plant is very afraid of stagnation of moisture in the soil, as a result of which rotting processes may occur in the roots or on the stems. During the dormant period, watering is minimized and the condition of the plant is monitored. If you see that the leaves are wilted or the stems are drooping, then you need to slightly moisten the soil.

Water for irrigation should be warm, chlorine-free and preferably settled for some time. Bouvardia does not need strong air humidity, however, it is very responsive to regular spraying with warm water, which, in addition to moisturizing, also washes away dust from the plant or dirt, if any.

Formation

Houseplant Bouvardia: photo

In addition to performing a decorative function, the bush must be shaped and pinched out stretching stems, especially at the beginning of the plant's life. Thus, the bush will bloom better and look brighter. In the autumn or spring period, you should cut the room Bouvardia and cut off all the stems by about half.

The soil

The Bouvardia flower loves a good, fertile, rich nutrient mixture through which air and moisture can freely penetrate. You can use ready-made universal soil in the store for indoor flowers, or it is even better to add a certain amount of vermiculite or perlite there. You can prepare the soil yourself, mixing, as it should, peat, sod, leafy soil and sand.

Feeding

This plant is very responsive to fertilizers, which should be carried out every 2 weeks, especially when the flower is actively growing and developing. As a fertilizer, ready-made complex mineral preparations, which are designed specifically for indoor flowers, are well suited. During the rest period, all feeding and fertilization are excluded.

Bouvardia: flower transplant

Bouvardia refers to such flowers that bloom very beautifully only in the second year of their life, therefore, after 2 years, they usually get rid of the old plant and acquire a new young bush. However, after a year, he needs to be transplanted into a large container. It is best to transplant in the spring.

Bouvardia: indoor plant propagation

Houseplant Bouvardia: photo

The Bouvardius plant is usually cuttings. To prepare a cutting, you need to select the top of the stem and cut it off at such a level that about 3 leaves remain on it. It is enough to place the cut off parts in a jar or glass of water, after which the cutting will grow new roots after a short time.

If the bouvardia has grown too much, then reproduction can be performed by dividing the bush. However, this is impractical, since the age of the plant will remain the same, and it will bloom much worse or will not bloom at all.

Diseases and pests of Bouvardia

Like any houseplant, the culture is susceptible to various diseases. The most common of these is root rot. It usually occurs when there is too much moisture in the soil or water stagnation occurs in the absence of a sufficiently good drainage layer. This fact must be taken into account when planting a new plant. This disease cannot be treated, so the bush must be destroyed, leaving only the tops of the stems as cuttings for further cultivation.

Another common disease for boulevard is leaf chlorosis. It appears for the reason when the plant is watered with inappropriate water or water containing chlorine. To protect the flower from this ailment, it is necessary to feed the bouvardia with iron-containing preparations from time to time.

The most common pest that attacks this indoor culture is aphids. You can get rid of this insect mechanically by washing and spraying the leaves and stems with warm water.

Types of Bouvardia

Houseplant Bouvardia: photo

The following types of Bouvardia plants are in great demand:

• Yellow. In addition to the yellow color of the petals, this plant has a high stem and can grow up to 1 m.
• Plant Bouvardia long-flowered. This plant also grows quite long, has a triangular leaf shape and very beautiful snow-white flowers that have a pleasant aroma.
• Flower Bouvardia jasmine = White Bouvardia. This name is given for the reason that the smell emitted by the white flowers of Bouvardia is similar to that of jasmine. This species belongs to varieties that can bloom in winter. In addition, it is a compact bush that does not exceed half a meter.
• Bouvardia is home. Very beautiful and one of the favorite types of bouvardia. The stems can grow to about 70 cm in height. The leaves here have the shape of an egg, pointed to the tip and a brightly saturated green color. The size of the leaves is about 5 cm. The flowers have different colors, mainly Bouvardia pink or crimson Here the plant variety plays an important role.The plus is sometimes the presence of double flowers.

Conclusion

Bouvardia is a beautiful houseplant, which, unfortunately, is not so often grown at home today. However, this flower is unpretentious and can brighten up cold, winter weekdays with its delicate and beautiful flowering, a reminder of summer.