Bougainvillea, Great Bougainvillea 'Mixed Hybrids'

Our Bougainvillea is potted and kept indoors in a south-facing location during cool weather. It's trimmed when indoors to keep it manage...Read Moreable, it blooms year-round, and is a joy to behold. The pink flowers seem to change to a slightly different color when the plant is moved outside.

These plants are "iffy" here in NE Florida (on the borderline of Zone 8b/9a). They are often frozen back to the ground and sometimes don...Read More't recover when we happen to have an occasional hard freeze in winter. If offered some protection (such as a heavy mulch of hay and covering in visqueen plastic) for a few winters, the root systems can get better established and are then better able to survive the cold nights.

I have used this winter protection method to keep alive a bronze colored variety for about 3 years and it now climbs about 8' high and spreads across a 4 ' wide trellis. Other colors I have planted are limping along, still trying to get established. One Bougainvillea that I planted last season didn't receive much winter protection and died back completely to the root crown. New growth, however, is beginning to emerge from the roots.

Under Bougainvillea glabra, I noted that the plants I had in the open ground didn't bloom very spectacularly because they'd been stupidly...Read More planted (not by me!) too close to a lawn and under the eaves of the house, with the result that they got too much nitrogen and too little sun, (I should have mentioned at the time that the plants in the open ground were B. spectabilis, not B. glabra, though I don't think it would have made a difference.)

Well, we've had a couple of hurricanes lately, a number of trees down, and all of a sudden I have a major flush of bloom on those bougainvilleas! They're getting more sun, of course, and the lawn hasn't been fertilized in god-knows-when.

Bougainvilleas, whatever the species, seem to be nearly immune to bugs. They grow so fast that they keep you plenty busy pruning, and yes, they're thorny: I once got thwacked in the face by a large branch.

My understanding is that it's the magenta/purple ones that are used for Agua de bugambilia in Mexico--B. glabra, I would think.

Bougainvilleas will grow in all hot climates, whether humid or dry; but you'll probably find the finest plants with the heaviest bloom in drier climates. Best I've seen were in Greece, Morocco, Portugal, Mexico and California.

For our Spanish speaking friends: Esta planta florece todo el año en climas cálidos, aguanta el invierno y no necesita mucha agua. Tien...Read Moree varios nombres en español "buganvilla", "buganvilia", "veranera", "santa Rita" "san Joaquín". Es originaria de Sur América, pero se ha aclimatado en todo el mundo. Yo vivo en Texas y tengo una que florece muy bien y no necesita mucho cuidado.

I love the clusters of color on this plant. On the western areas of this island (drier side) they can grow to spectacular heights and ha...Read Moreve a profussion of blooms. There is one area in Kailua-Kona where it looks like the walls are completely draped in color. It will grow in our wetter area, but the bloom clusters are not as big. We have a small one in our yard that is basically white with a tinge of pink. Very ethereal looking.

This is a spectacular plant. For some reason in Melbourne it is the purple variety that seems to cope best with our conditions, whereas f...Read Moreurther North in Sydney all varieties grow profusely.

It does stop blooming here for a few weeks in Winter. I never water it, rarely throw it any food, hack into it mercilessly to keep the path by its fence open and it just blooms and blooms. My plant is over 20 years old, with a trunk to match but still very vigorous.

The spines are vicious, so plan how you are getting rid of any prunings before you cut.

When container grown these plants are sensitive to being moved from one location to another. Place them in a sunny location and water wh...Read Moreen soil becomes dry; leave them there until time to bring inside. This usually causes the leaves to drop but do not despair. Keep moderately damp until the plant adjusts to its new location and puts on new foliage. Keep pruned back.

Plant does well in sandy acidic soils. Loves temperatures between 65 and 95f. Does not like cold wet conditions. Use on a fence or hot so...Read Moreuthwest facing wall. Does well in southern parts of arizona,california,texas, and florida. The plant is native of the coastal regions of Brazil. Will tolerate salt sprays. Loves sandy soil. Needs regular fertilizer, especially one high in phosphorus. Needs fun sun, will not bloom well if in shady areas. If planted in a shaded location let dry enough for the plant to wilt to force bloom. Blooms best in fall and spring, but in tropical climates is everblooming.

This plant grown outside, in front of a window will get a reflection from the window and quickly show phenominal growth. I've seen this o...Read Moren 2 different windows so I know its true. Native Indians used to use the thorny long branches as a primitive barbwire.

Our family lived in Mexico for almost 14 years. This shrub was VERY popular everywhere we went in that country. Many people told us tha...Read Moret a tea brewed from the flowers of the red varieties was an excellent home remedy for colds and coughs,being a natural decongestant. We had opportunity to try it, on numerous occasions. It's true! Wish we could grow it now, living in the northern US! Incidentally, what is commonly referred to as flowers on the Bougainvillea are not. The real flowers are very tiny and inconspicuous.

This plant is deer-resistant.

We've grown this shrub in Tucson, AZ and it's very popular here. Its beautiful flowers are like a tissue paper rose and the plant usually...Read More gets loaded with flowers most of the year. It comes in a variety of colors but the deep rose color does the best. We also have an orange-flowering Bougainvillea and the flowers are not very many. The flowers last a very long time.

They are easy to care for but do not over water. It does not like a lot of water, but on the other hand, don't let it dry out either.

Some people do not enjoy this plant because on windy days it seems to fly into others yards. We enjoy them, but I need to learn more about them and the type of soil, fertilizer to use and how to prune them properly.

The root system is very sensitive so try not to disturb it. I cleaned out a few weeds and some other tree roots and upset the roots which seemed to slow down the plant's growth. It's finally looking a lot better after several months.

This plant is absolutely gorgeous and easy to care for. The leaves are nothing special and the overall shape of the plant is rather free...Read More-form, but the blooms are stunning. Bougainvilleas look good particularly around a pool because they lend a tropical touch.

When grown in tropical and subtropical climates, this plant can become huge, and developes long, sharp thorns. Care should be taken to s...Read Moreite it where it will not be a danger to children or pets.

Bougainvillea do very well in the hot, dry, sandy soils. They add color year round to gardens and can be trained as a hedge, a climber, o...Read Morer as a groundcover.

A rambling, drought resistant, thorny vine. Blooms on new growth. Do not overwater, as it will produce more vegetation and fewer flowers...Read More. Blooms are bright pink, coral, red, orange, or purple. Some varieties have variegated foliage, adding to the plant's interest.