Expert: C.L. Fornari - 7/22/2007

Question
Hi... I live in Florida and have two nice size Bougenvillea's in my front yard.  When we were going through the dry season here, they were blooming beautifully.  Now, it's been raining often and even though I cut them back trying to get blooms again -- all I am getting is lots of long shoots coming from them.  Do I leave these long shoots or cut them all off?  Thanks.

Answer
Bougenvillea bloom in spring and fall in most areas.  They bloom on the short stems that come off of the main branches.  In general, they should be pruned in early spring but at this time of year you can prune them to encourage strong stems that produce bloom spurs (short stems off the main branches)

When pruning any plant, start with removing all dead wood.

Select some of the strongest, best placed new growth and clip the ends off (you can cut as much as a quarter of the length off) and tie them into place if needed.  Remove other new growth completely.   Cutting the tip off of some of the new stems will encourage them to make bloom spurs.

If bougainvillea aren't pruned every spring they can grow into a tangled mes of dead and living stems.  If this is the case with your plants, wait until early next spring and then do a renovation pruning as follows: cut the plant back to a framework of three to five stems, each three or four feet long.  Remove ALL other growth.  Six to eight weeks after pruning remove any weak or oddly placed new stems, and tie five to seven of the new growth up to make a good framework (not too crowded over the area - attractive looking) and pinch off the tips of these to encourage spurs.

Don't give this plant much fertlizer - this can result in a bunch of new, weak growth and fewer flowers.

There is a good book on pruning that has diagrams of bougainvillea pruning that might be useful...it's called The Pruner's Bible by Steve Bradley.

I hope this helps!
C.L.