Bougainvillea Guide: How to Grow and Care for Bougainvillea

Bougainvillea plants (the genus name is also Bougainvillea) are thorny, tropical vines, bushes, and trees that commonly have fuchsia-colored bracts (special leaves surrounding the actual flower) and thrive in warm climates, such as their native South America and some parts of Argentina. You will also find them in South Florida, Arizona, South Texas, and Southern California.

The most common species of bougainvillea are Bougainvillea glabra and Bougainvillea spectabilis. Both species have colorful bracts, which can be different hues depending on the specific variety or cultivar. However, these bracts do not photosynthesize like other leaves do, as they are used for protection of the tiny, white blooms at their center, which are the true flowers.

Members of the four o’clock family of plants (Nyctaginacae), bougainvillea are drought-tolerant, disease-resistant, and easy growers. Bougainvillea are hardy and can grow as ground cover in hanging baskets, up a trellis, or even in pots as houseplants.

There are more than 200 types of bougainvillea. Here are four of the most common:

1. 1. ‘Barbara Karst’: One of the largest of the cultivars, this bougainvillea can climb up to 40 feet and features clusters of red or magenta bracts in the summer and fall.
2. 2. ‘California Gold’: This bougainvillea gets its name from the golden-yellow bracts that surround the tiny white true flower. It’s considered a year-round plant but will only produce the bracts on and off throughout the year. It can climb up to 30 feet, so it grows well up trellises and arches.
3. 3. ‘Juanita Hatten’: The distinguishing features of this bougainvillea are the fuchsia bracts and leaves with gold dots. It will bloom in the summer and can climb up to 20 feet.
4. 4. ‘Sundown Orange’: The color of the bracts of this bougainvillea change as the plant matures, starting off as a deep orange, then fading to a more coral color, then ending in a salmon pink. They can climb to 20 feet tall.

Dwarf, semi-dwarf, thornless, and large, and extra-large are broader categories of bougainvillea. Many of those types are cultivars that are referred to as variegated, as the only colors you’ll find in non-hybrid bougainvillea are red and purple. One of the most recent species of cultivation is a bougainvillea tree, Bougainvillea arborea.

Bougainvillea growers use the plant in many ways to showcase the unique features of the plant. Here are a few ways to use bougainvillea in your garden:

• In a hanging basket: For this method, use a dwarf variety, B. glabra, or a Bambino bougainvillea. Smaller plants will root better in a hanging basket and you won’t have to cut back as often. They dry out quicker in a smaller vessel, so these plants will need to be watered more frequently.
• As ground cover: Bougainvillea grow best when they are given space to spread out, so if you have an empty spot in your garden that needs to be filled, bougainvillea will do just that. Plant them in a higher area that’s not prone to waterlogging, because bougainvillea like to be on the dryer side.
• As a climber: This is probably the most common use for bougainvillea, as it naturally wants to climb. Bougainvillea climb the best on trellises, arches, or even on fences, as long as the plant has something to grab. Chain-link fences work really well for this method.
• As a bonsai: Since bougainvillea plants tolerate pruning very well, and in fact need it to stay healthy, it can be a good plant to grow in the style of bonsai—an ornamental tree or shrub that is constantly pruned and styled to prevent it from reaching its full maturity.
• In pots: Bougainvillea can be planted in pots around your home or outdoors, as long as it gets full sun. If you don’t care about new growth, the plants can tolerate lower light, but they do need lots of light to thrive. Use a pot that is about twice as large as your plant.

Planting bougainvillea can be as easy or complicated as you make it. By nature, it’s a very easy plant to grow, however, there are certain actions you’ll need to take in order to grow the best bougainvillea.

1. 1. Consider the climate. Make sure you’re in the right zone and season. Bougainvillea is hardy to USDA Plant Hardiness Zone 9b and should be planted in early spring. If you don’t live in one of the warm climates where bougainvilleas grow best, they will become deciduous plants, meaning they shed their leaves every year when the temperature drops below freezing.
2. 2. Provide light. Bougainvilleas are full-sun plants, so you’ll need to plant them in the sunniest spot in your garden to maximize the bloom cycle.
3. 3. Choose the right soil. Your soil needs to be slightly acidic, gritty, and loose. Some locations already have the perfect soil for growing bougainvillea, but if you don’t, you can increase or lower the acidity of your soil using an appropriate potting mix. Make sure there’s enough soil for the roots to develop, but not too much where the soil will retain too much moisture and lead to root rot. No matter how you plant your bougainvillea, be mindful of the root ball, as it is quite fragile until the plant is established in its new home.
4. 4. Train the plants to climb. Bougainvillea plants need to be trained if you want the flowering bougainvillea vine to climb up or around something. When new shoots appear, you can arrange them and push them through open areas of your trellis, fence, or arch and repeat that as more shoots appear. If there is nothing for the bougainvillea to naturally hold on to, you can use twine to tie the woody stems to something like a fence post or parts of the trellis.
5. 5. Shape the plants. If you are not training your plants to climb and instead are growing them as bonsai, they will need regular pruning and shaping. The same is true if you want to grow it as a smaller shrub since it will naturally want to spread out. Bougainvillea in hanging baskets have a little more wiggle room with training, but you will need to cut them back periodically or they will outgrow the basket. If you want them to hang out of the basket, trim them less than you would if you wanted them to sit nicely inside the basket.
6. 6. Fertilize regularly. Bougainvilleas are heavy feeders and will need to be fertilized regularly throughout the growing season if you want new growth and fantastically vivid bracts. You can either use a slow-release fertilizer one time or apply a water-soluble fertilizer every seven to 14 days. Other people choose to instead surround the plant with compost if it’s looking a little limp.
7. 7. Avoid overwatering. You’ll need to water a bougainvillea once a week after you plant it until the plant becomes established, which can take up to three years. Once the plant is established, you only need to water it if there is a drought that eliminates natural soil moisture. Overwatering will encourage root rot. Bougainvillea plants do not like to sit in water and prefer dryer soil.
8. 8. Control pests. Bougainvilleas are highly disease-resistant and pest-resistant, but aphids, leaf miners, bacterial and fungal leaf spots, scale insects, thrips, spider mites, slugs, snails, and caterpillars can sometimes make their way onto and into a bougainvillea plant. To prevent pests and disease, make sure you’re not planting in an area near other diseased plants. If you do discover any of these critters or diseases, you can control the issue with insecticidal soap, neem oil, or narrow-range oil.
9. 9. Prune often. Pruning is a bit of a double-edged sword. While it prevents the bougainvillea from overgrowing or growing in ways you don’t want, pruning also promotes new, beautiful bougainvillea blooms. Both of these side-effects of pruning are necessary to the health and care of bougainvillea. You can prune the bougainvillea at any time, but it’s most important at the beginning of the growing season.

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