How To Plant Bougainvillea To Grow Successfully
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I’ve maintained many bougainvilleas, and I’ve planted many of them. Planting a bougainvillea isn’t too much different than planting any other shrub or vine except for 1 key factor. If you don’t do this 1 thing, it’s a crapshoot as to whether your bougainvillea will do well or even survive. This is all about how to plant bougainvillea to grow successfully.
When I moved to California from New England back in the early 80’s, it opened up a whole new world to me in so many ways. I went to work 2 days a week at a highly esteemed nursery in Berkeley to learn about plants and gardening practices in that part of the world. And boy did I learn a lot! This is where I first discovered bougainvillea and found out about this 1 important thing to know which came directly from the grower.
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I have 4 bougainvilleas, which is plenty for me, and don’t actually plant one in either this post or video. You’ll get the most important points and can refer to how to plant a shrub successfully to actually see the steps to take.
How to plant bougainvillea to grow successfully:
First of all, make sure you’re planting it in a sunny, warm location. Bougainvillea needs sun & heat to thrive & be a blooming machine.
Just like planting a shrub, dig the hole at least 2 times as wide as the rootball. Loosen the soil on the bottom of the hole to make sure the water will drain out. Bougainvillea doesn’t like to be kept sopping wet & is subject to rot.
So, the soil needs to be well drained. A rich, loamy soil is ideal. You can amend as you need to in your area. I always amend in the ratio of 1/3 local organic compost to 2/3 native soil when planting bougainvillea. I always keep a 2-3″ layer of compost on top for good measure.
When planting in containers, use a good organic potting soil. Mix in compost at a ratio of 1/4 as the potting soil should already have compost in it. I always top my container planting with a 1-2″ layer of the compost, again for extra good measure. Just know that you’ll probably have to water your bougainvilleas in containers more than you would if they’re in the ground. Also, the shorter growing varieties are much better suited to growing in containers.
Speaking of watering, bougainvillea prefers infrequent, deep waterings rather than frequent shallow waterings. Too much water = too much green growth & eventually rot. When your bougainvillea is establishing, you’ll have to water it more frequently. How often depends on the size of the plant, the soil its in & your climate zone.
Spring or summer is a great time to plant your bougainvillea because that gives it plenty of time to settle in before winter comes. If you have an unusual cold snap, a newly planted bougainvillea (say in late fall) is much more likely to get hit &/or not recover.
Choose the location carefully because bougainvillea doesn’t like to be transplanted. That’s a crap shoot also. You’ll see why after below.
I used a sharp florist knife to demo the slitting of the grow pot. You can also use your pruners or saw. Either way, just be very careful not to cut too deeply into the root ball.
The most important thing to know:
Bougainvillea can take full sun & heat without skipping a beat. However, it’s a big baby when it comes to the roots & doesn’t like to have them disturbed. For best planting results, be sure to leave your bougainvillea in the grow pot when planting it. Put a few slits in the side & bottom of the pot, being careful not to slash too deeply into the rootball. You’ll see me illustrating this in the video.
This method allows the roots to grow out of the pot but also protects the rootball. You want the level of the soil of the rootball to be even with the level of the soil you’re planting it into. This means the rim of the grow pot might stick up a bit. I always cut it off as needed because I look the look much better. Whether you cut that off or not is up to you. It won’t hurt the plant at all but I never wanted to see a rim of plastic in the garden.
Maybe you’ve planted one, take it out of the pot, and it’s done just fine. As I said, it’s a crap shoot and one I’m not willing to take. I just wanted to share with you this 1 important thing to know when planting bougainvillea. After all, I want your bougainvillea to grow, thrive and flower like crazy!
Happy gardening & thanks for stopping by,
Nell
Want more details about this and other DIY projects? Check out my blog post!
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PS, if your bougie gets hit by frost, do not cut it back until you are sure that no more frost is likely. Trim back in sections until you see green inside the stems; that part is still living, and will recover. No more bougies for me; their flowering bracts, which are what people regard as the flowers, fall off, and will blow around your garden in masses! If you have a pool, forget it! And there is another variety that doesn't discard its' blossoms, but they stay on the plant in big ugly clumps, needing major pruning (and wear LONG gloves)!
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True. I like them because they give me at least 8 months of color. Mine got hit by 2 cold nights last Dec. Will be pruning at the end of Feb. Nell
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Hi Gold Coast Australia you say they like deep watering I have one in a pot I water every other day and yes a lot of green not too many flowers should I let the plant dry out before watering thanks
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Yes, better to water deeply than too frequently. It's 1 cause of light or no blooms. Nell
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Frequently asked questions
Have a question about this project?
I have a long established bougainvillea planted in the ground that is tiny. I think it may be a dwarf strain?? It blooms constantly (SE FL) but stays the same small size for the most part. What should I do differently? Best fertilizer?
Thank you! 😎🌺👌
I have a bougainvillea indoors. I have had it for quite a few years with very little flowers. I live in Maine so no chance to plant outdoors but I love them. Any advice?
Hi Joy, great information thank you. I have contacted several garden departments and no one seems to know my how to help. I have two nice bougies in my backyard one is red the other white, they are planted about 12-14 feet apart, both are against the back fence, we get hot weather 100 to 105% in the summer plenty of sun and light to both plants they get fed and watered the same, the first year they both bloomed, did well but this year the white bogie didn't bloom at all and the red flourished, Why has the white one stopped, it has beautiful green color, not droopy no bugs. What could be wrong?