Does Bougainvillea Bloom on Old Wood or New Wood?

Blooming

• A bougainvillea vine can grow up to 40 feet high, depending on the cultivar, and produces sharp, woody spines. Its true flowers are small, white and tubular, and borne in clusters of three. The plant's color comes from specialized leaves called bracts, which surround the flowers and come in pink, purple, red, yellow and white. The plant produces flowers and new bracts on freshly grown shoots, or new wood, generally blooming in late spring or summer, depending on the variety.

Pruning

• Pruning a bougainvillea vine at the right time is essential to ensure abundant blossoms during its growing season. The best time to prune the plant is immediately after flowers are spent, usually sometime in the summer or early fall. Generally quite tolerant of trimming, you can prune the plant to control its size and shape by cutting branches back by about one-third, which stimulates growth of vigorous new shoots. Pinching back the tips of new branches also stimulates further branching and increases the number of blossoms on new shoots the following season. Wear gloves when pruning a bougainvillea to prevent injury from its thorns.

Enhancing Flowering

• A bougainvillea plant blooms best when exposed to high intensity light and does well in a spot that gets full sun. In areas with hot summers, a full-sun location with some shifting shade in the afternoon hours is ideal. You can also grow the plant as a houseplant with a support such as a trellis or hoop in its pot. Site it in a sunny, south- or west-facing window during the cool season and move it outdoors to a bright location during the warm months, but expose it to bright sun gradually to prevent scorching. A container-grown bougainvillea also flowers best when it becomes pot-bound and its roots a bit crowded.

Other Care

• A bougainvillea plant does well with even moisture, but tolerates dry spells quite well. If the plant stops blooming or blooms sparsely, withhold water and let its soil dry out to stimulate new flower production. The plant is a heavy feeder and blooms best when fed three times yearly with a balanced fertilizer such as a 10-10-10 formula. Feed the plant in early spring, mid-spring and summer, and dilute fertilizer at a rate of 1/4 teaspoon per gallon, but stop feeding during fall and winter to give the plant a rest.