My Bougainvillea Was Left Out in the Cold and Its Leaves Are Wilted

Cold Damage

• Established bougainvilleas survive short, light frosts although their leaves and flowers wilt and drop. Small plants are killed immediately by frosts and large plants die off during heavy or prolonged periods of freezing temperatures. Even the lightest frost scorches flowers and leaves, resulting in brown leaf margins and flower drop. Bougainvilles require at least five hours of sunshine and minimum temperatures above 65 degrees Fahrenheit.

Treating Damaged Plants

• Protect damaged plants with fleece or by moving them indoors to prevent further damage. Remove any cold-damaged shoots and branches during the spring. Hard pruning encourages fresh shoots and increases the number of flowers. A cold-damaged bougainvillea will recover and produce new leaves and shoots provided it is placed in a warm and bright location during the growing season.

Damage Prevention

• Move potted bougainvilleas indoors well before the first frost of the winter. Place the pot in a room that remains above freezing. If you keep your bougainvillea in a bright room at temperatures above 50 degrees Fahrenheit, it may continue to grow and even flower during the winter.

Winterizing Bougainvillea

• Protect bougainvileas growing in the garden with fleece or a frost cloth or dig up before the first frost. Cut your plant back o within 6 inches of the ground. Lift the whole rootball without damaging it and place in a cool, dark place at a temperature of between 40 and 45 degrees Fahrenheit. Keep the rootball barely moist. Replant in spring once all danger of frost has passed.