# How to Force a Bougainvillea to Bloom
The bougainvillea is a subtropical flowering vine that evokes images of warm climates. But it can tolerate light frost in climate zones as far north as zone 8, especially if you grow it under your house's eaves or under the protection of a tree or arbor. Depending on the variety, bougainvilleas produce a plethora of papery flowers in many shades, such as white, yellow, orange, lavender, pink, red and dark purple. This plant prefers well-drained, rich soil and performs well in containers that you can move indoors for the winter.
Things You'll Need
- Well-drained soil
- Compost
- Clippers
- High-phosphorus fertilizer
Instructions
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Grow your bougainvillea in an area where it will receive full sun at least five hours each day and where the soil drains quickly after a rain or irrigation. Before planting, combine one part of organic compost into each four parts of garden soil to give the area the fertility this plant needs.
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2
Fertilize your bougainvillea with a high-phosphorus, low-nitrogen plant food once a month starting in late winter and continuing until mid summer. Avoid fertilizers that have a high nitrogen content because they will encourage the plant to develop excess foliage at the expense of flowers. Do not fertilize from late fall through winter.
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3
Allow the soil in your bougainvillea's growing area to dry before you water again. However, avoid letting the plant wilt. If you run a hose at a drip for one hour every two weeks, this quantity of water should satisfy your bougainvillea.
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Prune 1/2 inch from the tips of branches every month or two during its active growing season, from spring through summer. This practice forces new growth, which is where new flowers form.
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Prune long branches as much as 20 or 30 inches in early spring to encourage the development of new wood.
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