This week as I was making the morning rounds in my container garden I was noticing the stunning beauty of one of my bougainvillea vines, and the lovely combo of the magenta bracts and tiny white flowers, together with green leaves, so I ran in to the house to take some photos to share with you. This vine is now on its second bloom of the year, which means blooms plus green leaves as opposed to the first bloom (in the spring) which is just blooms and no leaves.
I will admit, my two bougainvillea vines do offer many month of blooms, but I am wondering why they haven’t actually grown in size for years, so I thought I’d do a little bit of research as to how to grow bougainvillea in a pot, and enjoy its lovely blooms, and encourage it to grow taller, in my case. I’ve concluded that it is time to fertilize, which I’ve never done, and consider pruning in the winter, which I’ve also never done! If you too are taken by the idea of growing bougainvillea, maybe you’d like to learn how to grow bougainvillea in a pot?
While bougainvillea is a tropical woody vine/tree, it can also be “sub-tropical” meaning it can withstand cold nights and even some nearly freezing temperatures like that found in my Northern Israel location. That said, there are to my knowledge four colors of bougainvillea, which are white, orange, coral and magenta, and it is commonly stated that the magenta bougainvillea are the hardiest and best choice for my area. I have grown orange and white, though in the ground, as opposed in a pot where they are less protected from the cold.
So do listen to advice from your local nursery, but also take a look around your neighborhood to see what plants are actually able to make it through a slightly cold winter, if you have one?
To successfully grow bougainvillea in pots, plant them in a well-draining soil mix inside a container with large drainage holes. Position the pot in full sunlight (minimum 6 hours daily). Water deeply only when the top 2 inches of soil are dry, and feed monthly during the growing season with a low-nitrogen, high-phosphorus fertilizer to maximize blooms.
How To Grow Bougainvillea In A Pot, With Success:
- Pot Size: Start with an 8 to 10-inch container for young plants, scaling up to 16 to 18 inches for mature ones. Bougainvilleas actually bloom better when their roots are slightly snug in the pot.
- Material & Drainage: Terracotta or unglazed clay is ideal because it breathes and helps prevent waterlogging. Ensure the pot has ample drainage holes.
- Soil: Use a fast-draining potting mix designed for cacti or citrus, or amend a standard mix with perlite or coarse sand for better aeration and drainage.
1. Choosing the Right Pot and Soil
2. Sunlight and Temperature
- Sunlight: This is the most critical factor for blooming. Bougainvillea thrive in 8 to 10 hours of direct sunlight per day.
- Hardiness: These plants are highly sensitive to frost. If your location experiences freezing temperatures, grow them in movable pots so you can bring them indoors or to a greenhouse during the winter.
3. Watering for Blooms
- Bougainvilleas prefer a dry/wet cycle. Water deeply until it runs out of the bottom of the pot, then let the root zone partially dry out before watering again.
- Too much water will cause the plant to grow green leaves instead of flowers. In humid environments, allow the soil to dry out even more to stress the plant slightly—this encourages explosive flowering cycles.
4. Fertilizing
- Avoid fertilizers with high nitrogen levels (which promote foliage over flowers).
- Use a low-nitrogen, high-potassium/phosphorus liquid or slow-release fertilizer (e.g., 5-10-10 or 10-20-10) every 2–4 weeks during the active spring and summer growing seasons.
5. Pruning and Support
- Pruning: Bougainvillea blooms on new growth. Prune heavily in late winter or early spring. Throughout the summer, you can trim off spent flower clusters to trigger new growth and subsequent bloom cycles.
- Trellis: Since they are scrambling vines, use a sturdy stake or small trellis in the pot to support their climbing habit.
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