STOVE, OR TROPICAL HOUSE VINES 159 
are purple. There are three of these, each one 
about an inch across, forming a sort of chalice 
around each cluster of three flowers. 
This plant is not hard to please as regards 
sunshine or shade, and any temperature above 
55° will suffice, although 60° is better. Plant 
out in a well-enriched border, as the tremendous 
roots need abundant space; also, feed freely during 
growth. The bougainvilleas can be grown as 
vines if trained on wires stretched about twelve 
inches from the roof of the house, or they can 
be led up wire-frame trellises around a pillar, up 
to twenty feet in height. The plant needs hard 
pruning. If your specimen does not bloom, 
cut it down to the two bottom eyes; ordinarily, 
it should be pruned back to a couple of eyes of 
last season’s growth. If, after the first crop of 
flowers (borne during April and May) is past, the 
growth is cut back hard, a second crop will 
appear in August or September. 
One great advantage of the bougainvillea 
is that it can be made to flower at almost any 
time, for it can be kept dormant just as long as 
water is withheld from the roots. It can be 
grown as a pot plant without a trellis, since the 
shoots can be tied in any position. 
A plant ofttimes grown for its associations is 
