Bougainvillea Plant Care

Botanical Name: Bougainvillea glabra

You'll find bougainvillea plant climbing arbors, scrambling along stone walls, and spilling over terra cotta pots in Mexico, Greece and Southern California...any place warm and sunny will make these flowering shrubs flourish.

 

If you don't happen to live in a hot climate, a sunny window, greenhouse or sunroom will do. Bougainvillea flowers will really thrive if you can move your container outdoors for the summer. That's right -- you'll get the most flowers if you let these tropical beauties bask on your sunlit porch or patio.

Big clusters of brightly colored bracts in pink, red, orange or purple cover the plant summer through fall. The papery bracts surround small, creamy white flowers.

Those long, arching branches are covered with thorns, so be careful when handling them. They can cause skin irritation.

Pruning tip: Prune back lightly in fall, after flowers fade. Pruning bougainvillea regularly will keep the plant small and prevent it from becoming leggy.

If allowed to grow, bougainvillea vines can be trained around a hoop or over a trellis inserted in the pot. Tie it to the support with florist wire, if you need to. However, this vigorous climber doesn't need much training to twine around any type of support.

Repot in spring, when you see new growth. Bougainvillea blooms best when slightly pot-bound, so move it to a pot 1 size larger only when necessary.

Bougies seem to shrug off pests, but may be invaded by aphids (that show up on new growth) or spider mites (they prefer dry conditions). If you see any signs of pests, isolate your plant and treat any infestation immediately.

Bougainvillea Plant Care Tips

Origin: Brazil

Height: Up to 15 ft (4.5 m) if not pruned back. Can be grown as a bonsai -- bougainvillea bonsai tree will stay small.

Light: Full sun. Give it at least 4 hours of direct sun each day. Bougies won't bloom without enough light.

Water: Water thoroughly, then allow the top 2 inches (5 cm) of soil to dry out between waterings. Empty drainage tray to prevent soggy soil, which can lead to root rot.

Humidity: Average room humidity.

Temperature: Average to warm temperatures 60-80°F/16-27°C. Bougainvillea plants are frost-tender. Unless you live in a climate that's warm year-round, bring your plant back inside when the temperature dips below 60°F at night. It doesn't like the cold at all.

Soil: Any good potting mix.

Fertilizer: Feed every 2 weeks spring through fall. I highly recommend this fertilizer specially made for bougainvilleas.

Propagation: Take 4 in (10 cm) stem tip cuttings in spring and root them in moist soil. Propagating the cuttings requires a heat mat for best results. Cuttings should root in about 2 months.