Bougainvillea are an immensely showy, floriferous and hardy plant. Virtually pest-free and disease resistant, it rewards its owner with an abundance of color and vitality when it is well looked after.

Winter Protection for Bougainvillea

| Posted on 12:02 PM | Posted in , ,

2010 is already ending with a cold "BANG"!  So what are you going to do about your precious bougainvillea?


Here are some quick tips on "winterizing bougainvillea".


  • Bring them Indoors - If you have planted your bougainvillea in the soil outdoors and want to dig it up and move it indoors for the winter, expect the plant to go into dormancy sooner than if it had been in a container -- the root damage as a result of digging will be the cause rather than the cool weather -- but the plant should survive this kind of transplanting.
  • Hard Prune - it's recommended you do a hard prune before bringing them indoors. Bougainvillea is a vine and new growth (after a prune) starts one or more leafbuds below the cut and not up and down the entire branch. By doing a "hard" prune, next spring, when the plant regrows it will be fuller from the base up.
  • Plant in a Container - Generally, bougainvillea can be grown in anything that will hold soil and allow proper drainage. Some of the more traditionally used containers include terra cotta (clay) pots, plastic pots, hanging baskets, wire baskets lined with sphagnum moss or fibrous liners, concrete planters, planter boxes, and bushel baskets. Just remember that the container MUST have proper drainage.