Bougainvillea
A vigorous, thorny climbing shrub grown for its vivid papery bracts, the colourful part isn't actually the flower, the true flowers are small and white or cream, tucked in the centre of each cluster of bracts. Genuinely frost-tender, so it's a realistic outdoor climber mainly in Northland, Auckland and other consistently warm, sheltered spots; elsewhere it suits a large container moved under cover over winter, or a warm, sheltered wall. Flowers best when kept slightly on the dry side rather than watered heavily, as lush, well-fed growth tends to come at the expense of bracts.
- Sun
- full sun
- Water
- low
- Spacing
- 200cm
- Difficulty
- intermediate
- Grows in
- Whangārei / Northland, Auckland, Hamilton / Waikato, Tauranga / Bay of Plenty, Gisborne, Napier / Hawke's Bay, New Plymouth / Taranaki, Palmerston North / Manawatū-Whanganui, Wellington, Nelson, Tasman
- Mature height
- 3m
- Flowering season
- Jan, Feb, Mar, Dec
- Evergreen
- Yes
- Common diseases
- Root rot in overly wet soil
- Common pests
- Aphids, Mealybugs
When to plant by region
In Whangārei / Northland, Auckland, Tauranga / Bay of Plenty, Gisborne and Napier / Hawke's Bay: October-November. In Hamilton / Waikato, New Plymouth / Taranaki, Palmerston North / Manawatū-Whanganui, Wellington, Nelson and Tasman: November.
Growing stages
PlantingLate spring, once frost risk has passed
- Choose the warmest, most sheltered full-sun spot available, ideally against a warm wall, as a hard frost can kill this plant outright
- Install a sturdy support at planting time, as this is a vigorous climber, and plant well away from paths given its sharp thorns
- Outside the warmest northern regions, growing in a large container that can be moved under cover over winter is the safer option
Establishment
- Water regularly until established, then cut back significantly, as this plant flowers best when kept on the drier side
- Watch for aphids and mealybugs clustering on new growth
- Train new growth onto its support while stems are still flexible
FloweringSummer into autumn
- The colourful papery bracts surround small true flowers that are white or cream and easy to overlook
- Avoid over-watering and over-feeding once established, as overly lush growth comes at the expense of flowering
- Prune lightly to shape after main flowering flushes, wearing thick gloves given the sharp thorns
Maturity & overwintering
- A hard frost can kill top growth or the whole plant outright, not just damage soft new shoots
- In cooler regions, move container-grown plants under cover before the first frosts
- Established plants in warm areas need little more than an annual shape-up prune