Bougainvillea

Year by year

• year 1

  Building the vine

  Roots and vine first, colour second — expect only light bract colour in year one. Full sun now is an investment.

  see it on the strip ↑
• year 2+

  Established — the flush years

  From year two the waves arrive properly: two to four bursts a season, triggered by warmth and a little drought stress.

  see it on the strip ↑

Getting started

Nurseries typically present them as potted well-established woody vines (on a small support structure) that may already be flowering.

• day 0–404–8 weeks

  Cutting roots

  Cuttings root in bright warmth — sometimes stubbornly.

  Give it sun and a little tough love; the colour will follow.

  see it on the strip ↑
• day 40–365the first year

  Building the vine

  Roots and vine first, colour second. Full sun is non-negotiable.

  It's building its vine — the bracts come once it feels established.

  see it on the strip ↑

Typical timeline

• the plantAPR – OCT

  Leafing

  Vigorous vining in the warm months. The papery colour is bracts, not petals — the true flower is the tiny white trumpet inside.

  Lots of new growth — ease off the water to coax out the bracts.

  see it on the strip ↑
• the plantNOV – MAR

  Winter rest

  Drops leaves and rests when cool or brought indoors — near-dormant is normal, not dying.

  Cooling down and shedding — it'll flush again in spring.

  see it on the strip ↑
• floweringMAY – OCT · in waves

  Bract flushes

  Two to four bursts per season. Bloom is triggered by warmth plus a little drought stress — overwatering and overfeeding make all leaves, no colour.

  Bracts are colouring up! Prune after this wave and you'll get another.

  see it on the strip ↑
• undergroundAPR – JUN

  Spring root push

  The vine anchors in before the colour show — spring roots fund the bract waves of high summer.

  see it on the strip ↑

Care milestones

• feedMAY – SEP

  Bloom feed

  Feed with a low-nitrogen, high-phosphorus-and-potassium mix through the season — too much nitrogen grows a lush vine with no colour.

  see it on the strip ↑
• pruneAFTER EACH WAVE

  Prune after each flush

  Prune back the spent growth after each wave of colour — it shapes the vine and pushes the next flush. Mind the thorns.

  see it on the strip ↑
• waterMAY – AUG

  Let it dry between drinks

  Let the soil dry out properly between waterings — a little drought stress is the bloom trigger, while soggy roots keep it all green.

  see it on the strip ↑
• watchNOV

  Frost shelter

  Move the plant under shelter once nights drop below about 5 °C. It may shed leaves indoors, then rebound in spring.

  see it on the strip ↑

Botanical drawing

J. Andrews c.1861, Wellcome Collection (B. speciosa, close cousin)