It is also always hard to cut blooms off a Bougainvillea but mine never seems to completely stop blooming. Hi everyone! Prune your plant throughout the year, but especially in the late winter before the new growth cycle. Be forewarned, this gorgeous flowering vine can become quite invasive. Feeding bougainvillea, once in 4 weeks with 5-5-5 or 10-10-10 is enough. For best bloom, trim all branches back to 20 feet or less. ? Bougainvillea is a drought-tolerant plant, preferring regular waterings but let them go dry in between. But wait, there is a catch! You can also prune it during Florida’s rainy season. Using fertilizers too frequently can inhibit blossoming. Frequent or at least annual pruning is important to encourage new growth that will produce the colorful bracts. Pruning is the critical grooming method for maintaining your Bougainvillea. Few vining plants can top a bougainvillea (Bougainvillea spp.) Bougainvillea requires regular fertilization when they flower. I decided to prune mine in the way that a vineyard manager prunes grape vines, but not as severely. 11 years ago. You'll get a denser display of bracts. You can keep a bougainvillea tree 4 to 6 feet tall (or taller, though it will be harder to reach for trimming). Usually, the last frost in the valley happens around the 15th of February, but this year we got a late frost and even snow in North Scottsdale on the 22nd of February. The variety of colors, shapes and sizes make it possible to beautify a yard using no other plant. Is that possible? It takes nerve to prune but remember, they make bonsai out of Bougainvillea so it takes severe pruning really well. It tolerates high Florida temperatures well, thriving in daytime heat as high as 95 degrees Fahrenheit. for exuberant, sprawling growth and masses of vividly colored flowers. Pull out your pruning shears and prune Bougainvillea after it flowers in either the late winter or early spring. Pinch off the ends of vines that are about to bloom. Pruning Bougainvillea in Central FL. After all, it is only the new growth that produces flowers. Trim the bougainvillea shrub once or twice throughout the winter if the plant continues to grow actively. It's coming back, and I'm glad of that, but I'd like new growth to be further up on the base that I left. If you live in USDA zone 8, which includes parts of northern Florida, you can grow bougainvillea in a pot or hanging basket; keep it on a sheltered porch or patio and bring the plant indoors if frost threatens. How to Prune Your Bougainvillea. If I were only able to grow one plant in my South Florida yard, it would be bougainvillea. It must have well-drained soil or it won't survive. Remove the top 2 to 3 inches of growth around the entire plant to shape it. Take care when pruning a bougainvillea, as it has large, sharp thorns. I had to give my bougainvillea a hard prune, because of our cold winter here in central FL. Pruning. stitchem. Bougainvilleas produce their flower bracts or “bloom” on new growth. It’s easy to grow bougainvillea in Florida, and they are arguably the most spectacular plants found here. How to Prune a Bougainvillea in Phoenix After the Frost Now is the time for homeowners to cut back any frost damage that has occurred throughout our chilly winter months. Overgrown, neglected, enormous, thorny bougainvillea shrubs are a candidate for the worst-ever pruning nightmare. I cut it back to about 3 feet from the ground. Usually an evergreen plant, the bougainvillea does especially well in Florida, where it handles hot, sunny days well and thrives … This will ensure the bougainvillea does not become overgrown and leggy and will also keep the foliage in proper proportion to the roots below the soil. Always dilute the fertilizer to half its strength before use. NOTE: Prune in spring for shape and also remove any dead wood. Bougainvillea blooms on new growth, so you can prune after each bloom cycle. You can't really do anything wrong because it will grow back. They can grow on a trellis or up a wall.