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Bougainvilleas are among the most exotic looking plants you can grow. These bushy vines can be so prolific in flower that their vivid colors hide the leaves. Many are also vigorous in growth, but respond well to simple pruning.
Having said that bougainvilleas are hardy only to USDA Z9, in cooler zones they will not survive the winter outdoors. However, in areas where the winters are too harsh for bougainvilleas to survive outside, bougainvilleas can be grown in containers, pruned every year to restrict their size and moved into a frost-free environment as winter approaches.
There is no doubt that bougainvilleas are colorful climbing plants with flowers in orange, yellow, apricot, red, purple, magenta, pink and white. But look closely and you will see that the true flowers are small and white and the color is provided by what look like papery leaves that surround them. These are known as bracts. They are much more colorful and longer lasting than the flowers themselves, and provide the color that attracts pollinating insects. The fact that these bracts are long lasting adds enormously to the intensity of the delay.
How to Protect Your Barbara Karst Bougainvillea Plant from Hungry Deer
Bougainvillea plants are beloved for their vibrant blooms that burst with color in gardens. But deer often find them irresistible and can damage bougainvillea plants by voraciously grazing on the foliage and flowers. Protecting your Barbara Karst bougainvillea from deer is crucial to ensure they thrive and display their full flowering potential.
In this comprehensive guide, we will explore proven strategies to safeguard your Barbara Karst bougainvilleas from deer using deterrents, fencing, and smart garden design.
Understand Deer Behavior
To effectively protect plants, it’s important to first comprehend deer behavior and feeding habits Deer thrive along forest edges and wooded areas interspersed with open spaces This habitat provides ideal browsing opportunities.
Deer forage actively at dawn and dusk when most active. Their keen sense of smell draws them to tasty, nutritious plants. Deer consume around 6-8 pounds daily and find young shoots, leaves and blooms irresistible. This makes bougainvillea with its tender vegetation and brightly colored blooms, a prime deer delicacy.
By understanding deer patterns, you can implement tailored deterrents during peak feeding times to safeguard vulnerable new growth on bougainvilleas.
Use Physical Barriers
Installing physical barriers that block access to plants is a reliable deterrent. Deer are prodigious jumpers, so fences should be 8 feet or taller.
Sturdy fences without gaps prevent entry. For individual plants, erect wire cages or netting secured firmly around plants to obstruct deer.
Double fencing with two fences spaced several feet apart leverages deer’s poor depth perception to confuse them. Move scare devices regularly to startle deer.
Deploy Scent Deterrents
Deer dislike pungent smells. Garlic, soap, and predator urine repels deer. Spray or hang soap bars around plants.
Sprinkle human hair, human urine or predator urine near plants. The fear of predators lingering nearby deters deer. Employ scent deterrents innovatively by frequently changing locations.
Use Repellent Sprays
Liquid Fence, Deer Off and Plantskydd repel deer with foul-smelling eggs, essential oils or blood meal. Apply at first emergence and reapply after rain.
Rotate repellents as deer may adjust. Make perimeter applications to cover more ground. Target young growth vigilantly.
Add Deer-Resistant Companion Plants
Plant aromatic and pungent herbs and flowers that repel deer near vulnerable plants. Sage, lavender, marigolds and snapdragons make great companions.
Interplant with moisture-rich lamb’s ear and Russian sage. Position repellent plants strategically to create an odor barrier that masks appealing plants.
Discourage Access with Garden Design
Strategic garden layout can limit damage by channeling deer away from plants. Place vulnerable plants in fenced areas. Border gardens with strongly scented plants.
Use layered plant heights with tall repellent backdrops and lower sturdy plants in front. Herd deer towards areas planted with their less favored foods.
Startle with Scare Tactics
Deer are easily startled by noises and movement. Install motion detector sprinklers that activate upon detecting deer.
Use pinwheels, wind chimes, flapping deterrents and noisemakers innovatively around the garden by frequently relocating them. Keep deer guessing!
Apply Repellents Preventatively
Vigilantly monitor gardens for deer activity and apply repellents at the first sign of deer interest before damage occurs. Focus on protecting tender new growth which is most vulnerable.
Respond rapidly to sightings by adjusting deterrents to cover affected areas aggressively. Consistent monitoring and prompt response is key.
Modify and Maintain Your Deer Defenses
Deer may gradually overcome deterrents, so proactively change up your defenses to keep them effective. Altering the timing and placement of lighting, sprinklers, and scare devices will continually thwart deer.
Regular perimeter checks ensure prompt identification of access points so deterrents can be deployed preventatively. Maintaining a flexible, ever-evolving defense keeps deer guessing.
A Mix of Deterrents Works Best
No single deterrent is foolproof. Integrate a variety of continually changing tactics like repellents, companion plants, fencing and scare devices to mount the best defense.
Deter deer at multiple sensory levels with smells, noises, physical barriers and unpalatable plants. Keep deer on their toes by modifying deterrents frequently to maximize effectiveness.
Protect Young Growth Aggressively
Focus protection efforts on vulnerable young plant growth. Concentrate repellents and barriers around seedlings and areas with tender new foliage to prevent deer from acquiring a taste for plants.
If prevented from grazing early on, deer may eventually move on once plants mature. Robust defenses when plants are young are critical.
Be Patient and Persistent
Protecting bougainvilleas from deer requires patience and commitment. It may take diligent effort and continual enhancements before finding the right deterrent formula for your garden’s unique needs.
Experiment with different tactics and don’t get discouraged. Consistent monitoring, rapidly responding to deer and frequently alternating deterrents maximizes your chance of success.
The Reward of Thriving Bougainvilleas
With strategic deer deterrents, your Barbara Karst bougainvilleas will flourish and amply reward your efforts with their spectacular blooms. Vibrant bougainvilleas and a deer-free garden is an achievable goal using these proven techniques.
The key is persistence coupled with constantly changing, multi-sensory deterrents tailored to your garden’s layout. With vigilance and creativity, you can outsmart deer and enjoy stunning bougainvilleas safely protected from grazing!
How to buy bougainvilleas
Buying by mail order will open up the widest choice of varieties, websites provide good s and simple texts describing the features of the different varieties.
Some nurseries sell quite small plants in 2 1/2in pots. These are the most economical as their light weight does not incur uncomfortable shipping charges. But you will have to wait for your new bougainvillea to reach a good size.
Plants in increasingly large sizes are also available – in effect, when you buy larger plants you are buying the time that the plant took to reach a larger size. Very large specimens are sometimes available, but check shipping costs carefully.
In areas where bougainvilleas grow well outside, USDA Z9 and above, you will also find bougainvilleas offered in the garden departments of DIY stores and by walk-in nurseries, more often in gallon, or two or three gallon, pots.
Where to grow bougainvilleas
Bougainvilleas will take a light frost, but generally need frost-free conditions so are ideal in USDA Zone 9 and above.
They will usually only grow and flower well in full sun, although in our warmest zones they will take a few hours of light shade. Deep shade can prevent your bougainvillea from flowering. A site with good drainage is important, on a slope perhaps or in sandy or gravelly soil. Due to their vigorous scrambling growth they are best grown up robust supports, although if simply left alone many will spread into a tangle of tall ground cover.
For gardeners in Zone 8 and below, growing in well-drained potting soil in a container or planter box is ideal. The pot can then be moved into a frost-free place for winter protection.
Some gardeners in colder zones grow their bougainvilleas as annual plants, and buy a new plant each spring.
In cooler climates, grow bougainvilleas in pots so you can overwinter them indoors( credit: Westend61/Getty s)
Plant bougainvilleas in spring or early summer. The roots are a little delicate and easily damaged so do not loosen the roots in their potting soil. Simply dig a planting hole larger than the rootball, mix in some well-rotted garden compost or planting mix, then set your new bougainvillea in the hole, with the surface of the potting soil level with the surrounding soil. Fill in and firm gently.
Choose a site where these fast-growing flowering vines will have space to grow without smothering nearby plants and be sure to set them back from garden paths and gateways and decks to prevent accidental encounters with the thorns.
Once bougainvilleas have settled in after planting, they need little care. They rarely need watering as they actively prefer dry conditions.
Fertilizing bougainvillea, however, is another matter. Bougainvilleas can only grow with their natural vigor if the plants are well fed. A regular treatment of a fertilizer specially formulated for bougainvilleas, such as Bougain, available on Amazon, is ideal.
Bougainvilleas usually flower well without pruning but you may need to reach for the pruners if your plants start to take up too much space or if there are dead or damaged branches that need removing.
After the main burst of spring flowering is the best time to prune bougainvilleas. Pruning also stimulates fresh new growth and it is these shoots that will soon carry more flowers. Make sure you clean your pruning shears first, and beware of the thorns. Wear stout, long-sleeved gloves for protection, and do not lean into the bush too closely – better still, wear eye protection. Even sunglasses are better than no protection at all. These Acdyion gardening gloves from Amazon would be a suitable choice.
Prune bougainvilleas after the first main flowering in spring( credit: Jenny Dettrick/Getty s)
The easiest and simplest way to make more bougainvilleas, though not the quickest, is layering.
In spring, look low down on the plant and find the tip of a branch growing near ground level. Clear away any weeds or mulch at the point at which the shoot touches the ground about 6-9in behind the shoot tip.
Scrape away some more dirt until the underside of the shoot touches the dirt about an inch deep. Cover with soil, firm with your hand, then place a large stone or brick over the buried shoot. This stops it moving and marks the spot. Then – do nothing.
By the fall, the shoot will have made roots and new growth should have developed at the tip. Follow the shoot from the tip back to just past the rooting point. Snip it off, dig up the rooted part and plant it in its new home.
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FAQ
Do deer eat bougainvillea plants?
What smell do deer absolutely hate?
What is the best natural deer repellent?
How do you care for Barbara karst bougainvillea?
Barbara Karst Bougainvillea is a fast growing plant and may deplete the nutrients in its soil over time. Replenish them with a gentle organic fertilizer or compost every 1-2 months depending on your location and season. Fertilize more often during the growing season and in warmer and brighter climates.
How much water does Barbara karst bougainvillea need?
Barbara Karst Bougainvillea needs 0.8 cups of water every 9 days when it doesn’t get direct sunlight and is potted in a 5.0″ pot. Use our water calculator to personalize watering recommendations to your environment or download Greg for more advanced recommendations for all of your plants. Does your plant get direct sunlight?
Is Barbara karst Bougainvillea a perennial?
Yes, the Barbara Karst Bougainvillea is indeed a perennial, and that’s one of the reasons I love it so much. It comes back year after year with its stunning, vibrant red blooms. It’s a joy to see it flourish through the seasons, especially when many other plants have finished their blooming period.
Does Barbara karst bougainvillea need potting soil?
Barbara Karst Bougainvillea does best in well-draining soil. A good soil will contain lots of organic matter such as coco coir as well as perlite or vermiculite to help with drainage. Adding a handful of perlite to regular store-bought potting soil should do the trick!