bougainvillea care

[spacedog]

I have a large bougainvillea that I have recently brought indoors. It didn't flower this summer and I think it may be because I did not prune it last year. Is this the case and how do I prune it and how much and when. The leaves are now falling off. The vines are about 4-5 ft in length.

Thanks for your time

[James D.]

bouganvilleas are very hard to grow indoors because they love humidity and full hot sun, and thats probably why yours is loosing its leaves. they do like to be pruned to flower more prolifically and they also like being a bit rootbound in thier pots. i suggest pruning it in the spring before you put it back outdoors and cut it back by about a foot to a foot and a half just above where a leaf and the stem meet ( above a node) and you should get a bushier plant with more flowers. the last thing is they like fertilizer during the summer and lots of it that will also help the flowers along.

[spacedog]

Thanks so much! I did manage to keep it alive last winter so I will take your advice.

Good growin',

Chris

[Chuck White]

Spacedog: To add to James D's comments; Bougies will continue to bloom, even if never pruned. It is sometimes customary to see three story high plants growing beside older apartment buildings. These bloom as well as any other plants even though they may never have been trimmed(Or pruned). As it is, you will only get blooms on NEW growth. Pruning enables there to be more new shoot branching and thus, more blooms.