Bugonvilla question

Hello,

I was thinking about planting some bugonvillas along my backyard fence with some trellises, to add some color.
i read somewhere that unless they're in pots they won't bloom.
Is that right? I have full sun most of the day in the spot where i'm planning to plant them.

Any advice will be appreciated,

Thanks!

They bloom fine in the ground. You may see them go for a little while without blooms while they work on getting their roots established, but they should bloom fine once they're established.

Second that.

Also, don't forget Bouganvillea is a deceivingly thorny vine --use only if you can put it at a distance from the normal flow of bodies, including maintenance. For example, I pulled it out from alongside our front gate, after a few bloody scrapes.

Hi,
please remember not to disturb their roots when you are planting. They thrive on no feeding. If you feed them, the food goes to producing leaves at the expense of flowers. They are thorny so make sure you don't put them too close to walking path. They are messy. So if you have ponds or pools, their petals will go there. Torchglow is the least messy in my opinion.

I feed mine all the time. They love it and I get nice blooms!! Gotta love bougies they bloom up a storm no matter how you abuse them.

I've seen a variety of experiences with bougies--I had always been under the impression that to get the best blooms you should be stingy with water and not fertilize them, but I've seen other posts from people who've watered them plenty and fertilized and they've also bloomed well. So I think they're just not as picky as people might believe. (I always followed the stingy water/no fertilizer routine and mine bloomed great).

You are right. When I lived in AZ I would see the bougies planted on the access road to the freeways thriving with no water and jeez it musta been 160 or more degrees in the summer with the asphalt, cars, etc. Then when I moved to the south I was amazed they did great with so much water etc. I think they are more versatile than people think and perhaps a little hardier as well in regards to cold weather.

I water mine maybe once a month in the summer if we don't get any rain and hardly ever in the other seasons... They bloom year round for me, planted on the west side of my house in full on blazing Arizona sun. They are as tall as my roof and all I do is trim back wayward branches once in a while so I don't get scratched working in the yard. Pretty carefree!

Max100 has it right with bug-on-villas. They get a caterpillar that hatches on the new growth and by the time the leaves are large they are mostly eaten. They really need to be sprayed here. They also get leaf miners. I likely still have a 2" thorn next to my ulnar bone in my arm.
They can be pretty but I like them best in other people's yards.

It's probablt the humidity in Florida. We have no issues with pests on them here. They're indestructible. I know what you mean about the thorns though. They would make a nice deterrent to trespassers planted in the right spot.

My experience has been don't fertilize and DON'T over water.....sharp well drained soil. Hot blazing sun doesn' t seem to matter as long as the roots are cool. Never had anything chew on mine.

Our problem down here is that 90% of the yards have them, just like hibiscus. Even tho the plants mostly froze this past year, it didn't deter the pest population.

I read somewhere the other day that bougies in pots need more water than those in the ground. Makes some sense I think.

In general I think potted things (especially in hot climates) require more vigilant watering. Bougies are very drought tolerant once established but not sure how applicable that is to potted plants;o)

My large established Bougies sustained substantial frost damage in our unusually cold winter but are coming back just fine. The smaller one froze back to the ground while the larger one froze back to the main trunk. They are tougher than you think!

One day, I'll get brave enough to plant one in the ground. I live in north Florida right on the Alabama line, so we always get freezes.