Bougainvillea

Any tips for the proud owner of a new bougainvillea? It's just a baby.

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Full sun is tricky around here. How cold is cold? At what temperature do I bring it in?

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Thanks MzM. I had it hung safely out of reach of the squirrels, but I'll move it into afternoon sun to "zap" it a bit better. Mind you, I've got geraniums flowering very nicely in the same window. They get morning sun and then bright shade (right in the living room window) so maybe it will do OK. How big does it have to be before it starts blooming?

My boss told me that as long as it gets root bound, or atleast has alot of roots, it will flower. You have it in a pot? Do you know which variety it is?

No, I don't know which variety it is, but the person who gave it to me probably does. Being way up north in zone 5, there's not much point in putting a bougie in the ground. I have it in a hanging pot, in front of the living room window. Being right in front of the glass like that insures that it gets a lot of reflected light even when not in direct sunlight and the overhang means that it gets less rain than it would even a few inches further forward, so I guess that's about the best place I can put it in the summer. I've got geraniums blooming profusely in another pot right below it, even though they're not technically in full sun. Having said that, I'm not expecting any blooms this summer. I'll be happy if I just succeed in keeping it healthy for now.

Hi.

I have a Bouganvilla and one thing I know from experience is the more water it gets the more it won't bloom. So be sure to let the soil dry out between deep waterings and you should have lots of color. :)

MG, it's Bougainvillea glabra probably Coral. I have it in a plastic hanging pot. It will take a while before it fills that pot up with roots, as it was just in a 4" pot before that. But it's looking healthy, which is enough to make me happy this summer. Next summer I'll be more demanding. ;o)

Janet everyones right when they say don't overwater. It will grow like a weed, just wait. We have probibly ten or fifteen thousand of them at my work. By next summer yours will be blooming, maybe sooner if you keep it warm and well lit. Watch out for those mean thorns also. I've seen a full grown red one, 'Barbara Karst', with thorns like 2 or 3 inches long.

Thanks everyone. I'm being chintzy with the water. I put newspaper in the bottom, so the soil stays moist for quite a while, but it's never waterlogged. So far so good. Thorns? Whew, I'll keep an eye open. Aren't any so far.

Janet, I got a Raspberry Ice bougainvillea in the summer of '00. It almost done blooming right now and I know it's not root bound. I water it sparingly and it's in a window where it gets late afternoon to sunset sun. I wish I could give it more but the awnings are in the way. I heard that I should trim it back but wanted to check that out on DG before I do.
Sally

I have always wondered about Bouganvilleas, Watering, feeding, not feeding and pruning..in Mexico, a lady, with a casa, near the sidewalk was out looking after hers in containers..(now they weren' huge, because she kept pruning them, forcing bloom. Now I know you are going to contradict me(this flower blooms on new growth, not old growth!!!!!)Another thing, putting them right out in the rain, was the only time they were watered..a combination of the humidity , dry soil, kept them a-bloom throughout the season. I have a friend with a solarium roof right in the middle of her home..they are all hanging up in baskets..she never waters or feeds and they go on and on blooming! so who's to know..trial and error! Elaine ........???????????

I had a bouganvillia planted in the ground by the fence and for the past few summers it had cascaded over the fence wall and was so pretty. This year, I am sure it is gone, even tho I cut it back and covered it. I knew it would happen sooner or later, but I sure enjoyed it while it lasted. I do have cuttings in the green house that are blooming now. I have heard that they need to be stressed to bloom. Ones in the green house hasn't stopped blooming that's how stressful my greenhouse must be!

Roz,
guess mine is stressed to cause they are still blooming thier little heads off in the greenhouse. LOL Since I have a few I think I'll plant one or two in the ground this spring and dig it up about October.....that's if I don't forget about it. :)

Glory, Plant one where it will grow and climb on something and it won't matter if it lives or not, and you may be surprised, it may come back and when it does come back it comes back with a vengence it grows and grows until we have a real cold winter like this year like under 34 for more than 4 days off and on. Mine did just great, and I must admit I was just lazy cause I didn't dig it up and boy, I had real good show for two years, until now and I am sure I have lost it. The funny thing is that I thoug I lost it the other two years, cause when I did not cut it back, it came back in mid spring like a real surprise , so I left it alone the next year and it did it again. This year I cut it back but I am sure there is no way it will come back next warm season. I'm not gonna do anything to it, just wait and see, but I don't have much hope after last nite.

My plumber dug up my Bougainvillea and didn't leave a heck of a lot of root. It was in full bloom and up onto the 2nd floor roof. I'm very unhappy with him. :o( We'd discussed it and he didn't think it was in the way - then I came home one day it it was on top of a pile of dirt. :o(

I replanted it and trimmed it back and have been watering it and hoping for it. We'll see. It's a rasberry colored one - they're pretty hearty. We shall see.

The fairer colors are less hearty, or so they say. We have, in pots, a purple and a gold. We lost an Orange last year - not sure why - it just never got established.

:o) Judith

This site has a lot of helpful info!
http://bougainvillea.freeyellow.com/main.htm

Bougies are such beautiful plants (outside of the thorns, that is!). They do thrive on neglect and pruning -- after the first couple of years, you'll want to prune them regularly after bloom to keep the color coming. Carena's hyperlink really has great information on them, those seem like very accurate tips.

Letting the soil dry out between waterings is really important. Also, bougies are very sensitive to root disturbment. Be very careful when transplanting them; it's easy to lose part of the rootball and the plant will suffer from shock (yup, had it happen to me).

They really don't like cool weather. I'm in Northern CA and we have to grow them against warm walls or away from the cold coastal winds. Like star jasmine (trachelospermum jasminoides) they usually just sit there when it's cool and don't grow much.

Good luck with your bougainvillea!