Bougainvilleas are wonderful because they look their best when they are abused.. These South American natives bloom the most when they are hot, underwatered, and their roots are constricted--which is why around here it is best to keep them in containers. They can be trained as just about anything from groundcover, to shrub, to tree (If they are properly supported), to climbing vine. Woohoo! My kind of plant.
They are pretty thorny, though, so make sure your hands and arms are properly protected when you handle them.
I recently got a "Sundown" and a "San Diego Red" (a.k.a. "La Jolla"). Both are pretty, but with the weather cooling down, it's time to think about protecting them.
For the time being, during the last two cold nights we have had, I have put them under a kind of temporary lean-to shelter against the house on my back porch, involving a frost cloth purchased at my local nursery and plenty of duct tape. While this kept my more tender plants about 10 degrees warmer than the open air, it will become impractical in the middle of winter, and as there is no room in my garage, I have had to look for other options. This means, of course that I have been spending a lot of time with Google.
From what I have seen, the universal bottom line is don't let them freeze. They sometimes die back or go dormant during colder months, but usually bounce back later if their roots are properly protected.
Phil and Jean Hovey recommend sheltering them fron any temperatures below 40 degrees, hence the little makeshift lean-to mentioned above. This Southeast Texas gardening website recommends protecting them from temps 50 degrees or below. Some people suggest leaving them in the garage or in the house one freezing temperatures begin, and only watering them once per month, before returning them to the outdoors after all danger of frost is past. Greenhouses can be handy too. I plan to keep mine in a temporary pop-out greenhouse, once I get my hands on one.
As they are only hardy to zones 9-11, plants in colder regions need to be especially well protected.
I couldn't possibly cover everything in a single blog post, so here, then, are some bougainvillea links for your perusal.
Plant Profiles:
Floridata
Wikipedia
General Care Tips:
Southeast Texas Gardening: Growing Bougainvillea
PlantAnswers.com
Texas A&M Plant Answers
Plant-Care.com
The outdoor adventures of a California native putting down roots along the Texas Gulf Coast.
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