Learn the secrets to growing bougainvillea vine and be rewarded with a profusion of vibrant bracts.
If youre looking for ahardy tropical vinewith lots of color, youve found it.
Bougainvillea is a tough-as-nails plant, and that includes its nail-like thorns.
Credit: Ed Gohlich
The vines hardiness is balanced by its beauty.
Bougainvillea puts on a spectacular show of color in spring with fresh new growth.
What many people think of as the blooms of bougainvillea arent blooms at all.
Credit: Jeffrey Rycus
The showy paper-like structures are modified leaves called bracts.
These bracts hide the flowers inside, which are small and trumpet-shaped in shades of white and yellow.
While bougainvillea is a relativelylow-maintenance plant, it favors certain conditions.
Credit: Denny Schrock
Where to Plant Bougainvillea
As a tropical plant, bougainvillea thrives in hot, dry climates.
Inareas colder than Zone 9, its grown as an annual or container plant.
The woody climber does best next to a fence or a trellis when sited in a garden.
Credit: Denny Schrock
Bougainvillea Care Tips
Heres everything you should probably know to keep the vine healthy and blooming.
Light
Bougainvillea needs plenty of sun.
Some varieties can handle part sun but wont perform as well as they could infull sun.
Credit: Denny Schrock
Keep the bougainvillea in full sun for maximum blooms and the longest blooming period.
Soil and Water
If you plant bougainvillea in the ground, choose an area withwell-drained soil.
The vine doesnt like to remain wet for long.
Credit:courtesy of the Tropical Plant Industry Exp
This plant likes dry soil, so limit watering to every three or four weeks, but water deeply.
If you havent had a significant show of blooms, give your plant a drought period by withholding water.
This can sometimes trick bougainvillea into a dormancy period and trigger blooming.
Temperature and Humidity
Outdoors, bougainvillea performs best when the temperature is at least 60F.
It tolerates temperatures as high as 95F and thrives in dry conditions.
Fertilizer
Bougainvillea is a heavy feeder.Fertilize the plantmonthly during its active growing season.
Scratch agranular fertilizerinto the soil and water well.
If you cant find a dedicated bougainvillea fertilizer, use a10-10-10 general-purpose fertilizer.
This 1-inch caterpillar dines on the plants foliage, leaving it looking ragged.
You probably wont see this pest because it falls to the ground when you touch the plant.
If you see leaves that have been munched on, treat bougainvillea with Bacillus thuringiensis.
you might also pick off bougainvillea caterpillars by hand or spray the entire plant withneem oilto control the pests.
The vine grows well in containers, trained as a shrub, or sprawling as groundcover.
Choose a compact, dwarf form of bougainvillea when using it as a groundcover.
Because of bougainvilleas woody habit and vigorous growth, the plant lends itself well to manipulation.
This is the simplest way to display the beautiful blooms of bougainvillea.
The plant can also beused in hanging basketswith minimal care.
How to Propagate Bougainvillea
Propagating from cuttingsis the most common way to create more bougainvillea plants.
Its also possible to find types that grow slightly smaller, ideal for modest-sized backyards.
It climbs to 40 feet and is hardy in Zones 9-11.
California Gold
BougainvilleaCalifornia Gold is one of the best-performing yellow-flowering bougainvillea varieties.
It begins blooming as a young plant and produces warm yellow bracts on and off throughout the year.
It climbs to 30 feet in Zones 9-10.
Juanita Hattan
BougainvilleaJuanita Hatten offers green leaves dotted with gold and bold fuchsia-pink flowers in summer.
It climbs to 20 feet and is hardy in Zones 9-10.
It blooms in summer and climbs 20 feet tall in Zones 9-11.
It comes in this pink hue as well as cream.
Frequently Asked Questions
Bougainvillea plants make fantastic topiaries.
Creating tall topiary plants with minimal effort is easy since bougainvillea is so fast-growing.
In general, bougainvillea blooms best with direct sunlight and shorter days.
That makes it a popular choice for adding a big swath of color in dry regions.
