Bougainvillia: Patio plant to house plant (for the winter)?

Hi! I've just adopted a lovely potted bougainvilla (3 ft x 4 ft) that has been a patio plant all summer here on the Cape. Now its owner is going back to her apartment in New York and I couldn't bear to have this one thrown out even though it is definitely not hardy in my zone (7A).
I"m pretty sure from reading threads that I can leave the plant outside on my sunny deck until a frost is forecast. . . is this correct? And then, what are the chances of me successfully overwintering it inside my house in front of a SW facing slider window? Would it do as well in a SE window? Would it hate the dry heat of a New England interior in the winter, and require misting, etc.?
Any advice? I'm not a total newbie to houseplants, but have never tried a big flowering vine like this.

i overwintered mine in the house last year. it lived, but lost most of its leaves. when i took it out in te spring, it really took of. it has branches 4 feet long.

I did this once, too, and in a Southwest window as you hope to do, CCG!

Like jordankittyjo's...mine lost all it's leaves. I just watered it less.
In the late winter, the leaves began to grow back.

Well, these beauties grow in the landscape down here and a lot of folks grow them as container plants too. I have two in containers and they stay outside all winter. We sometimes have a frost or two and a few cold nights in the low 30's. I always throw an old blanket over my containers when it gets cold. I have had the vines go totally bare from dropping leaves but as long as the plant is given a little water regularly, you should see it take off come spring and warmer temperatures!

Many years ago we had a very large bougie planted in the ground on the north side of the house. It grew up a light pole and across the roof of the house. It was the most beautiful plant and even withstood a couple of very cold winters and one hard freeze. It was mulched heavily so I think that helped protect the roots somewhat. Of course when we have cold down here, it's only for one or two nights here and there.

Don't know if you know it but mature bougainvillea's have very long dangerous thorns!

Thank you, everybody. It helps a lot to know that the SW window will be best--but that when the vine drops its leaves inside I should just decrease the water and wait for spring.
It's worth a try! I appreciate the help. Oh yes, thanks for the warning about the long thorns that will eventually develop.

good luck, and let us know in the spring how its doing

It might get to looking pretty pitiful during the winter months but don't fret, in spring you will be rewarded with new growth of foliage and in summer those beautiful bracts of blooms!

Here's some good information for growing Bougie's: http://www.bgi-usa.com/bougainvillea-resource/bougainvillea-101.php

and here: http://www.askmar.com/Bougainvilleas/Bougainvilleas.pdf

Plantladylin, I want to thank you for both of these useful links. I learned so much from them--notably the above, which was mentioned in both sources, as well as the importance of watering less when overwintering. And that I shouldn't be discouraged by leaf-drop.
I feel much encouraged about my chances of "saving" my new adoptee over the winter, even in non-tropical coastal Massachusetts. Thank you!

CCGardener: You are welcome! For years I have heard conflicting information as to the care of this plant. Some people would say "Oh, you should never prune a Bougie, they bloom on old growth." Or someone else would say "You have to prune them or you won't get blooms." I have also heard some say they are heavy feeders, requiring a lot of fertilizer and others say they won't bloom if you fertilize them! With so much conflicting information it's hard to know what is right.

I found this: http://www.plant-care.com/bougainvillea-plant-care-blooming.html and agree with a lot of what they say.

Bougies prefer LOTS of sun, moist but not soggy soil, do not let go completely dry (actually I have a couple that have gone completely dry (for a few days) with no problems but they are in containers in the backyard near a tree, so they get shade and we also have quite high humidity down here so they get some moisture from the humidity in the air.) And, I am lax about fertilizing all of my plants. My 2 container Bougies have been sitting in a shady location for the past two months so have not bloomed. I plan on moving them out to where they will get 6 or 7 hours of sun and feeding them a light strength fertilizer so I might get blooms again before too long.

I hope your plant overwinters well for you, as I'm sure it will. It may go completely dormant, losing every single leaf, but as long as you keep the soil damp it should be fine. When spring rolls around, the new growing season begins, and plants wake up from their winter "nap", I think your Bougie will start to flourish once again.

Lin

Thank you, Plantladylin. I feel much encouraged, even if my bougie loses all its leaves temporarily. I will keep its soil slightly damp and wait for Spring!