Bougainvillea is a plant that really must be seen to be believed. With its beautiful flowers in brilliant colours and daring shapes, it’s unattainable to overlook when in full bloom. Whereas bougainvillea plant care isn’t notably troublesome, there are key issues it is best to know to make sure your plant thrives.
At Pleasure Us Backyard, bougainvillea care is a well-liked subject we cowl regularly! Having grown it in two very totally different climates—Santa Barbara, CA, and Tucson, AZ—I’m excited to share my experiences and insights with you.
I’ve acquired many questions on rising this vibrant flowering plant, so right here is my complete care information. You’ll want to stick round till the tip as a result of I reply some generally requested questions.
Be aware: This was revealed on 12/18/2019. It was up to date on 8/5/2024.
Bougainvillea Plant Care Rising Guides
Bougainvillea isn’t a plant for colder climates. It’s hardy in USDA zones 9 by way of 11, with optimum progress in zones 10 and 11. Beneath are our high guides for rising bougainvillea, rounded up in a single place. We hope you discover this beneficial!
In case you stay in a local weather with an extended rising season and gentle winters and need an (nearly) year-round floral fiesta, then bougainvillea is the plant for you. Relying on the range, it may be grown on a trellis or over an arbor, towards a constructing or fence, in containers, as a hedge or floor cowl, in tree kind, and as a bonsai. Right here, I’m sharing care and rising ideas for bougainvillea, a plant I’ve a number of expertise with.
I’ve executed a number of posts and movies on all features of rising bougainvillea—or so I believed! I do know a lot of you’re inquisitive about bougainvilleas in containers, and I’ve seen a lot of them rising in pots over time. That is all about planting bougainvillea in pots, together with the soil combine to make use of, the kind of bougainvillea to plant, the pot dimension required, the steps to take, and a key factor to know.
The reply to the query I usually get: “Does bougainvillea develop effectively in pots?” is sure, with correct care! Right here, you possibly can be taught extra about rising bougainvillea in pots. There are key issues you must know when you’re going to develop bougainvillea efficiently in containers, and so they’re lined right here.
Planting bougainvillea isn’t an excessive amount of totally different than planting every other shrub or vine apart from one key issue. In case you don’t do that one factor, it’s a crapshoot whether or not your bougainvillea will do effectively and even survive. The 2 most necessary issues to know are that bougainvillea doesn’t prefer to have its roots disturbed, and it requires soil with good drainage.
Are you seeing injury in your bougainvillea leaves? Like one thing’s been chomping and munching away? I’m not speaking little nibbles right here and there however some severe feasting. I’ll present you what it may be so you possibly can establish three sorts of pests that generally infest bougainvillea and the steps to take.
For an extravaganza of colour 8+ months out of the 12 months, bougainvillea is difficult to compete with. It stops blooming when the climate turns cool as a result of it must relaxation earlier than the present begins once more. In order for you your bougainvillea to thrive within the hotter seasons, there are some things to find out about bougainvillea winter care within the winter months.
Let’s be trustworthy right here: bougainvillea will not be a plant I grew up with. I believed it was some unique plant till I moved to Santa Barbara 10 years in the past the place it’s discovered rising in some kind or colour on each block. It’s ubiquitous, I let you know, but for my part, it’s a stupendous “weed.” I had no expertise rising bougainvillea till I purchased a home with three of them on the property.
The primary winter, they abruptly began shedding leaves, so I needed to ask the query: Why are my bougainvilleas dropping a lot of yellow leaves? I quickly came upon about leaf drop and share what I realized right here.
That is a part of a month-to-month collection itemizing the highest questions we get requested about in style crops. Right here, we’re answering probably the most generally requested questions on bougainvillea, together with flowering, pruning, coaching, and way more.
Bougainvillea is a vigorous grower and wishes pruning all year long. How usually and to what extent you prune the plant will depend on the place you reside, what form or kind it’s rising in now, and what form you need it to tackle. I’ll let you know from expertise: bougainvillea isn’t arduous to form, however it will possibly take some work. And watch out of these sharp thorns!
With its vibrant and plentiful blooms, bougainvillea captivates the hearts of gardeners and plant fanatics worldwide. Its recognition is clear, as bougainvillea-related posts constantly rank among the many high on our web site.
Like all plant, bougainvillea has particular necessities and might current challenges. Over time, we’ve acquired a whole bunch of questions on develop and take care of it. This overwhelming curiosity was the inspiration to create this digital information to share my data and experiences caring for this plant. By bringing collectively all of the important data in a single place, the intention is to make rising and mastering bougainvillea satisfying and rewarding for everybody.
This 21-page e-book is designed to be a helpful useful resource for anybody seeking to develop bougainvillea efficiently. This concise, complete information is full of helpful ideas and steering to assist your bougainvillea thrive.
Bougainvillea Plant Care FAQs
Bougainvillea wants full solar publicity, no less than six hours a day, to provide an enormous present of flowers. These tropical crops love warmth, too. Each are important to bougainvillea plant care.
I’ve 5 bougainvilleas rising at my dwelling right here in Tucson. Three get much less solar and bloom lower than those that get 6-7 hours of solar a day. So, if yours will get morning solar solely, it gained’t develop as quick or bloom as a lot.
It will depend on the age of the plant and what local weather you’re rising it in.
Newly planted bougainvillea wants extra frequent watering. It prefers deep watering each 7-14 days fairly than extra frequent shallow watering. I’d water a freshly planted bougainvillea extra usually right here within the desert than I’d one which was freshly planted alongside the coast of California, the place I used to stay.
As soon as established, bougainvilleas want to be stored on the dry facet, with much less frequent however deeper waterings. An excessive amount of water results in root rot, particularly in heavier soils.
I by no means supplementally watered my two bougainvilleas in Santa Barbara as a result of they had been very well-established – each had been over 20 years outdated. In case you water a bougainvillea an excessive amount of, it’ll produce extra foliage progress and gained’t flower as a lot, if in any respect.
Right here in Tucson, 4 of my bougainvillea (all established) are on drip. It runs twice every week for 2 hours within the hotter months. It’s off in winter, and the one water they’ll obtain is what falls from the sky till I flip the drip again on within the spring. I’ve a bougainvillea in a container that will get watered each 5-21 days, relying on the season and the climate.
Bougainvillea flowers are what makes this plant so beloved! Lack of flowering is usually as a result of plant not receiving sufficient solar and warmth. Bougies love heat climates and want solar and warmth to bloom. The decrease the sunshine ranges, the less flowers you’ll get.
An excessive amount of water, an excessive amount of fertilizer, and over-pruning may also stop bougainvilleas from flowering correctly.
There is no such thing as a one month. Relying on the local weather zone, bougainvillea blooms from early spring by way of late fall.
Right here in Tucson, my bougainvilleas bloom by way of early December. As soon as the temps are constantly chilly, then the blooming stops.
One winter, we had a couple of nighttime freezes which froze not solely the flowers however the foliage and department ideas, too. The primary freeze occurred on the finish of December. My bougainvilleas didn’t begin to present colour till the very finish of April, which was later than the earlier two years.
Within the two totally different local weather zones the place I’ve grown it, bougainvillea doesn’t bloom year-round. It’s additionally good to know that bougainvillea goes by way of flowering cycles. When my Bougainvillea Barbara Karst has put out its huge bloom cycle, one other gained’t begin for 3-5 weeks.
In Santa Barbara, my bougainvilleas bloomed longer as a result of it’s a hotter local weather with hotter winter evenings. They might flower on and off from the tip of February/starting of March by way of the tip of December.
There are fertilizers formulated for bougainvillea. I’ve by no means used any of them as a result of my bougainvilleas have at all times flowered constantly and been wholesome.
Right here in Tucson, I apply a 3-4″ layer of compost across the base of my bougainvilleas in late winter/early spring. It is a extra excessive local weather, and the soil isn’t as wealthy, so my bougainvilleas respect the additional increase. Plus, the compost helps to carry in a number of the soil moisture as soon as the temps creep above 90F.
Oh sure, you’ll have to as a result of this plant grows quick as soon as the temps heat. How usually and the way you do it will depend on the kind of bougainvillea, your local weather, and the shape you need it to be.
I’ve written fairly a couple of posts on pruning and trimming bougainvillea so you possibly can examine these out right here.
As soon as established and rising within the full daylight and warmth it loves, bougainvillea is a quick grower. My bougainvilleas in Santa Barbara grew a bit quicker as a result of the winter night temperatures had been milder. In Tucson, a freeze might knock them again.
In conclusion, offering correct bougainvillea plant care will rework it into a shocking centerpiece in your backyard. Even outdoors of tropical climates, with the fitting consideration, you possibly can benefit from the show-stopping blooms in vivid colours that make bougainvillea such an amazing addition to any panorama. Comply with the following tips, and you’ll benefit from the beautiful bougainvillea blooms for years to return.
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Nell, the founding father of Pleasure Us backyard, was born right into a gardening household and grew up in Connecticut’s countryside. After residing in Boston, New York, San Francisco, & Santa Barbara, she now calls the Arizona desert dwelling. She studied horticulture & backyard design, working within the discipline all her life. Nell is a gardener, designer, blogger, Youtube creator, & creator. She’s been gardening for a really very long time & needs to share what she’s realized with you.