[robbodaveuk]

My two year old bougainvillea has plenty of flowers on at the moment, the problem is they are supposed to be red, but they are white with a hint of pink on some of them. Any ideas why this is.

  Robbo.

[Spana]

Had the wrong label on it.  Sorry   Dont think I've ever seen a white one or a red one come to that.

Mines the usual pink and its a pain .  It takes over the green house and the spikes are something else.  I would take it out but the bracts are so beautiful and they last well in flower arrangements so it gets to live.
When i came here 10 years ago it covered the back wall of the 36ft lean-to green house and was so thick it was hard to get through the door. But  smothered in the pink bracts and little cream flowers it was a sight to behold

I keep the poor thing cut hard back now and you can tell its just waiting its moment to go on the rampage   Be warned

[mumofstig]

I have no answer, sorry, but am just so jealous 

They are truly beautiful, white pink or red, but I have nowhere I could grow one

[robbodaveuk]

It is definitely red (or should be), there are plenty of them that colour growing everywhere in the Far East, that's where I fell in love with them. I have since checked my soil and the PH value was........4......... it's now been re potted in a neutral soil. It is in a tub by the way so I can keep it to the size I want and bring it in for the colder months. Hoping the re potting and a good feed will bring it back to it's normal colour. I also rescued a poorly looking Bougainvillea from Focus yesterday, a lovely lilac one, re potted, tidied up, fed and watered, it looks a proper picture now.

  Robbo.

P.S. Mumofstig, no problem growing in a pot, they don't need a big pot, they flower better if they are slightly stressed i.e. root bound and it helps to keep the size in check.

[kzaba]

I kept them for years and yes you can get them in white,  red  even yellow/orange too but the most common is the purple. I would go with the wrong label theory, Reeds Nursery Loddon are I think holders of a national collection, you might get ideas for which variety you've got by looking at their site.