Question
Due to a recent 2 week holiday my bougainvillea has been completely neglected and totally dried out!  Is it possible to rescue it?  I know that the plant comes from a very dry climate but I'm not sure how often I should water it?  All of the leaves have dropped and it looks very sorry!   Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Many thanks
Tracy Bennett

Answer
Tracy, scratching the stem about a third of the way up from the bottom and see if the cambium layer still shows green; if so, it should refoliate for you, if not and it is brown, then the plant is gone. Don't kill it with kindness though and soak the rootball, this will only exacerbate the problem, simply give it a good watering and then back off and let nature take its course. Nick