Question
I recently discovered Bougainvillea in a local nursery and would love to purchase one. However,I understand they are tropical plants and wondered if they can be successfully grown in NY state. If so how would I care for it?

Answer
Hi Viola, it would be a difficult endeavor on your part, they are indeed tropical, and even here in Florida, they are prone to problems during a colder then normal winter; if you wanted to try, then the Spring would be the time to start (after the last frost.) and would need to be in a large container, that can be moved inside during the Winter. You can't really protect it in the ground, because it doesn't go dormant and would assuredly die, when the ground froze. Nick