For brilliant blooms of red, pink, orange, lavender, yellow or white that will last all summer long, Bougainvillea is our favorite heat loving plant.

Planting

When planting your Bougainvillea, make sure you do not disturb the root ball. It is very important that these plants be transplanted with extreme care. Many gardeners have found it successful to cut the bottom off the con­tainer and set the root ball (sides of container still attached) in the hole at soil level. Cut the sides of the container and begin backfilling with a mixture of 2/3 soil and 1/3 Greenworld Mulch. Very gently, slide the container out when you have backfilled half way to the top of the hole. Continue backfilling until you reach soil level. Water in thoroughly with vitamin B-1 or Root Stimulator.

Fertilizing

Apply Green Light Root Stimulator immediately after planting. At the beginning of each new season, use Flower Power fertilizer for strong, healthy Bougainvillea. Continue using it at 2 month intervals until the end of summer to get maximum growth and flowering from your Bougainvillea. Do not use fertilizer that has high levels of Nitrogen once Bougainvillea have started to bloom because this will cause vegetation to grow, but will produce few blooms.

Care

Bougainvillea in containers need to be watered regularly. Allow soil to dry out between waterings. Bougainvillea planted in garden soil are extremely water-wise plants, but they need regular watering their first summer. Once the plants are established, deep soaking during dry periods is sufficient. Too much water will cause plants to grow rapidly, producing lush green foliage instead of flowers.

Bougainvillea planted in the ground are not amenable to temperatures below 30 degrees. During occasional winter frosts, use a frost protection blanket. If they do happen to catch a frost, they probably won't suffer permanent damage. Bougainvillea are so vigorous in Southern Arizona, they usually fully recover as temperatures warm.