Expert: C.L. Fornari - 7/6/2008

Question
Do they like a lot of sun or not I got mine for Mother's Day and it looks a little sad.  I live in Minnesota so I want to be able to keep it alive during the winter months.  Should I give it some food?

Answer
Deb,
Unfortunately Bouganvilla are a tough plant to keep in cold climates - they are prone to insects like white fly indoors during the winter, and because it is in increasing hours of daylight that they flower, they frequently come into bloom in the early spring (around Mother's Day!) when they are still indoors in your climate, and then are not in bloom in the summer when they are outside. That said, you should put your plant outside for the summer in a place that either gets full sun or a half day sun. Water it when the soil is going dry and either fertilize regularly with a liquid or give it some time-release fertilizer such as Osmocote that will feed it all summer. If the plant is in a very small pot and seems to be root bound you might want to transplant it to a larger container now.

In September when the night temps start going down to 45 degrees bring the plant indoors. Don't feed it during the fall and winter, and only water it when dry - keep it in a southern or western window. Treat any insects with insecticidal soap. In February start fertilizing and watering more.

I hope this helps!
C.L.