How to Prune and Trim Bougainvillea for Maximum Bloom
Here’s how I prune and trim my bougainvillea for maximum bloom.
My Bougainvillea glabra is a flowering machine. It puts out a big show of magenta/purplish color off and on for 9 or 10 months out of the year. This bougainvillea grows up and over my garage which sits at the end of a long, narrow driveway. It gets a major “WOW” from anyone who sees it.
The pruning that I do in January is the big one that sets the shape that my bougainvillea will be for the rest of the year. I usually prune it all in 1 fell swoop, which takes about 5 hours.
But this year I didn’t start the pruning until the end of February, and because I was doing it in dribbles, I just finished it up this past weekend. By the time I finished the pruning, it was already flowering away like crazy!
Here’s how I prune my bougainvillea for maximum bloom:
The video is full of info but here’s a break down of what I do:
How to Prune and Trim Bougainvillea
First of all, I make sure my pruners are clean & sharp. For this job, I’ll use my Felco #2‘s, Fiskars Floral Snips & my Corona Long Reach Loppers. Oh, I use a 6′ step ladder too.
Thin out the plant by removing whole branches right back to the main trunk. When it’s semi-deciduous in January, it may seem like you’re removing a lot, but believe me, it grows back like crazy. I prune a lot away from the outside of the plant so I can get to the inside.
Remove half of the undergrowth which has gotten shaded & “wimpy”.
Remove the water shoots. These do nothing for the plant at all.
Shape it to how I want it to look. It goes up 1 side of the garage & then all the way across. I took an old metal trellis which was on the back of the house & had it attached to the middle of the garage just above the overhead door. Bougainvillea does not attach itself (unlike jasmine, trumpet vine, morning glory, etc) so I had to train & attach it.
Most of the branches that remain I take back by a half or tip prune, depending on their length. This is what brings the denseness of color to my bougie. You see, bougainvilleas bloom on new growth so the more you tip them, the more color you’ll get. Tip pruning, in case you don’t know, is the removal of the soft new growth by 1-6″. You can even do this with your fingernails if it’s easier.
I’ll do four additional lighter prunings throughout the warm season, ending in early December. My bougainvillea is a riot of color and yours can be too. Just remember, tip pruning (you’ll see the technique in the video) is one of the keys to this dense show of flowers. It’s my own floral fiesta!
YOU MAY ALSO ENJOY:
- Things You Need To Know About Bougainvillea Plant Care
- Bougainvillea Pruning Tips: Everything You Need To Know
- Bougainvillea Winter Care Tips
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Nell, the founder of Joy Us garden, was born into a gardening family and grew up in Connecticut’s countryside. After living in Boston, New York, San Francisco, & Santa Barbara, she now calls the Arizona desert home. She studied horticulture & garden design, working in the field all her life. Nell is a gardener, designer, blogger, Youtube creator, & author. She’s been gardening for a very long time & wants to share what she’s learned with you.
Love this video, congrats!
This Bougainvillea species is native from Brazil and very large shrub here too.Love it!
Best wishes!
Miriam
Thank you Miriam, I appreciate your comment! Ah, beautiful Brazil … it’s very fitting that a beautiful plant would be native to such a beautiful country. glad you enjoyed the video. Best, Nell
Hello there I come across your page. And I have been looking for this bougainvillea plant. I really love this ….
I want to get one. Quick question do you have some for sale.
Thank you.
Bee
713 366 6207
Hi Bee – We don’t sell bougainvilleas but depending on where you live, your local garden center might have them. You can also find them for sale online from various sources but the plants will be small. Hope that helps! Nell
Hi Nell! It’s June in Claremont, Ca (91711) and my container bougainvillea has flowers but very little green and or new growth. Do I need to fertilize with nitrogen to promote growth?
Hi June – Greetings from Santa Barbara! Since bougainvillea blooms on new growth, you do have new growth. If they’re newly planted, they may just be getting going. I’ve never fertilized my bougies at all & haven’t supplementally watered mine in at least 2 years. Both are doing great but then again they’re in the ground. I’d lay off on the high nitrogen fertilizer because they like it balanced or higher in the last 2 numbers (P & K). I’d try a good dose of organic compost &/or worm castings before I’d use fertilizer & see if that does it. Hope that helps! Nell
Oh wow that really helps me a lot. My B is new. We live in Chiangmai, Thailand and purchased a potted B which is grafted so it has the pink blossoms like yours but also orange, yellow and purple.
The blossoms are done and it looks so ratty. I thought it was going to die but after seeing your gorgeous tree and how it looks when it’s not in bloom I think ours will be just fine.
I just pruned it back a bit (it’s not huge so there’s not as much to prune) but I did what I could.
Hi Aleesha – If it’s any consolation, a couple of my bougies are looking a bit ratty now too. It’s in reaction to the cooler winter temps. & lower light levels. Also, after they put out a big bloom, I’ve found that quite a bit of the foliage drops too. I think it’s a reaction to using so much energy to bloom. I’d leave it be & see what it does after a year or 2. It can take a bit of time for them to establish, but once they do, they take off like crazy. Nell
We are Az Snowbirds here in Yuma 5 months out of the yr. I have bougies growing along a 6 ft brick wall. They about 7 ft tall and I did not prune them in Nov like I usually do since they did not bloom much until Mar each yr. I left them tall and wanted to know can I prune them back before leaving in April but they will not have water again until Nov. Is that too much of a shock for them?
Hi Jack – I never supplementally watered that big bougainvillea when I lived in Santa Barbara & we had quite a few years with very little rain. I pruned it year round but SB is nowhere near as hot as Yuma. If your bougainvilleas are well established (been planted over 5 years) then they should be fine. Don’t do a heavy pruning & be sure to give them a few good, deep waterings before you leave. Nell