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Oooh, those sound good for me.

I've had a mature bougainvillea in my yard. I loved the almost year round color. Be careful when transplanting as they have delicate root balls. Bougainvilleas also have thorns.

I recently got a couple of small, potted bougainvilleas for my balcony, and they looked great at first, but they've recently dropped most of their flowers and are looking a little janky. Anyone have any tips for keeping potted bougainvillea?

Do it! Do it!

Bougainvillea is one of my favoriteist things about California. It just won't grow here in New England... let me live my botanical dreams through you!

Boogie - I live in San Diego and have a potted bougainvillea given to me by my super green thumbed dad. It's relatively easy to maintain. The soil dries out faster than if it was planted in the ground, so it just needs to be watered more often, esp during hot summers. This was last Spring and it's starting to color again now:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/thethuyster/689661010/in/set-72157600595053442/:

Oh, you are so lucky to live where you can grow bougainvillea! In one edition of Sunset's Western Gardening Book, there is a picture of a hot pink bougainvillea spilling over a gray granite boulder--it's absolutely breathtaking. Have fun planting!

lol A couple of years ago I helped a friend trim down his bougainvillea tree... the bottom (no sun) had withered, while the top (full desert sun) was thriving. NEVER underestimate the damn thorns! But he's had his for more than 15 years and it looks pretty damn good.

Love the color these plants provide. Does anyone know if they would be harmful to cats? They are not listed on either the toxic or non-toxic plan lists on the ASPCA site. Lucky me, my cat eats anything and everything in site.

that's *plant* lists

and *sight* not *site*.

That's multi-tasking for you . . .

I have a bougainvillea in Savannah, Georgia that survived the winter. I had previously thought it hadn't made it but I found new growth yesterday, much to my delight. After reading this post I am wondering if I have it in a sunny enough spot. Anyone have any tips for transplanting, best time of year for doing so, etc.?

Can someone explain, phonetically, how you pronounce "bougainvillea?" I've seen it several places but the verbal doesn't compute.

I have a potted bougainvillea in San Diego in full shade and it's doing great; I've had it in this location for over 10yrs. They are really easy plants in this climate.

I alternate between completely ignoring my plants, only tending them when they are wilted and appear to be on the verge of dying, and periodic bursts of interest in having beautiful plants. ;-) Fortunately, bougainvillea will withstand this level of non-care.

If allowed to become overly dry, I find it does drop all its leaves. I just water it really well, and it will come back.

When I'm in the mood to care for my plants, I use a general purpose fertilizer to encourage new growth and blooms. Since my bougainvillea is in full shade, this makes a big difference. Don't use fertilizer if the soil and plant are overly dry; water well, wait several days until the plant isn't bone dry, but also isn't overly wet, and then water with fertilizer (follow directions from your fertilizer mfg). Take it easy when using fertilizer, less is usually more.

Thanks for the tips bipolarbear and SanDiegoAT

There are bougainvilleas behind my work building and the petals blow in through the back door when people walk in- by the end of the day the floor is covered in pinkish-purple prettiness. I love them.