How & When To Prune A Bougainvillea For Maximum Blooming Potential

I consider myself lucky to live in a place where bougainvillea grow lush and wild.  It is this same lush “wildness,” however, that can sometimes intimidate prospective gardeners and deter them from choosing a bougainvillea for their garden.  That would be a shame because the spectacular bougainvillea can be managed fairly easily with some simple, occasional pruning and maintenance.  In this post I will show you how a bit of judicious pruning and planning can tame your bougainvillea’s wild ways while lighting up your landscape in a magical frenzy of color.  Read on to find out how properly timed and executed pruning, as well as strategic planting, can maximize your bougainvillea’s blooming potential while minimizing your labor.

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Why Prune a Bougainvillea Reason #1? Prune A Bougainvillea to Promote Denser, More Striking Flowering

Pruning a bougainvillea will contain its growth, train it where you want it to go, and maximize its blooming and visual impact.   Heavy pruning of old growth and overgrown branches will stimulate serious flowering.  Why?  First, bougainvillea bloom on new, fresh growth.  That’s why, if you have a big, tall, older bougainvillea that has not been pruned in a while, you may find that it struggles to bloom or only blooms at the top or around the edges.  Avoid this with regular pruning a couple times throughout the year following the suggestions below.

Also, pinching or pruning ends of bougainvillea shoots makes any blooming, and subsequent color, much denser, not just on the outer edges, resulting in much greater visual impact.

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When Is the Best Time to Prune a Bougainvillea? Timing Is Everything

Prune Your Bougainvillea After Blooming Cycles End

These are hardy plants so this is not an exact science, but you will want to keep in mind some basic principles to help you get the most flowering out of your plant.  Bougainvillea go through periods of blooming and periods of rest.  In climates that are warm throughout the year, bougainvillea is “evergreen” which means it can technically bloom year-round.  Therefore, depending on your plant variety and climate, you may have more of a blooming cycle than rest cycle or vice versa.

Prune After Spring Blooming to Shape & Remove Dead Wood

While you may technically prune or trim your plant anytime throughout the spring or summer growing season, the best time to seriously prune your bougainvillea, in general, is after its peak winter or spring blooming period has ended.  This is when you will inflict the least amount of harm.

Of course, the exact month will vary depending on your climate and location.  It may be in mid-spring for you.  However, I find that where I am my bougainvillea blooms like crazy in February, March, April and into May and sometimes June if it is a drier start to the rainy season.  The last thing I want to do is disrupt any flowering during this time.  As a result, I don’t start serious spring pruning until late May or whenever the blooming period ends and the spring/summer growing season gets underway.

After Blooming Is Over, Prune Your Bougainvillea to Clean-Up & Shape

After blooming has ended, I make sure to shape my bougainvillea into the shape I want it to maintain by removing errant shoots or branches.  In the process, I clean up and remove any dead or diseased shoots or branches.

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After Summer Blooming

While winter/spring may witness peak blooming in the Southeast, in some places, such as parts of coastal Northern California, bougainvillea blooms profusely in July– check out the famous Lombard Street here…  This is thanks in part to the stronger sun and cooler daytime temperatures in that particular region.  In places like this, you will want to wait until this magnificent peak blooming period ends before you prune.  After all, when you eagerly anticipate flowers, you certainly do not want to cut them off mid-spectacular bloom.

Prune Your Bougainvillea in Mid-Summer to Cut Excessive Growth Before New Buds Form

That being said, where I live, I like to prune a bit in July to cut back any sprawling shoots and wild mid-summer growth.  This also restores shape to the plant during peak growing season but pre-budding.  Another rule of thumb when deciding when to prune, is to only prune before your plant has produced new buds as well as flowers.  If you wait to trim shoots until late summer or fall or whenever buds appear by you, you may cut off potential buds.  As a consequence, your bougainvillea may produce fewer flowers during its next seasonal blooming cycle.

If You Are in the Southeastern United States, You May Want to Avoid Late Fall, Early Winter Pruning

Elaborating on the point above, newly formed buds lead to mega-bloom displays come the dry season.  Here in Florida, while a bougainvillea is in its slow growing stage in winter as far as new growth, it is at its most prolific blooming at this time.  This is due to a combination of slightly cooler temperatures and drier, less humid weather, both of which bougainvillea love.  In places with these conditions, refrain from pruning too much in this pre-blooming phase in late fall or early winter, lest you risk cutting short a blooming cycle.

TIP! If You Are in the Tropics This Winter, Look for Major Bougainvillea Blooming

New England and other northern states may have their leaves, but us tropical dwellers have bougainvillea.  As an evergreen perennial in tropical and sub-tropical USDA grow zone 10, the tropical vining shrub periodically paints the landscape with spectacular, lingering swaths of vibrantly colored floral displays throughout the year.  However, there is no season in the year with more spectacular blooming than winter in the tropics.  Winter is when we are truly treated to a stunning show of flowers.  During the drier winter season, cascades of brightly colored bougainvillea flowers brighten up the shorter, darker days with colorful splashes of deep pinks, reds, magentas, purple, gold, and white all throughout the tropical landscape — just in time to light up the holiday and post-holiday season. 

Take Note of Drier Periods Where You Live & Avoid Pruning During This Peak Blooming Time

Another reason to avoid cutting during a blooming phase is you may have to wait a while for reblooming, especially if the rainy season is near.  That’s because bougainvillea bloom most profusely in drier periods, while heavy rains and excess water actually suppress blooming.  Where I am in the southeastern US, our rainy season is during the early summer months, which coincides with the least active blooming periods, while our dry winters trigger intense bougainvillea flowering.

Are There Any Reasons Why You Should Not Prune a Bougainvillea?

A properly cared for bougainvillea can be a “flowering machine.”  So, you will want to avoid turning this prodigious flower producer into a plain, boxy green shrub or hedge by pruning regularly every two weeks or so like any other hedge.  Otherwise, why bother having a bougainvillea?  If you want a plain, boxy green shrub, there are already lots of lower maintenance options to choose from.

To prevent your bougainvillea from becoming just another piece of greenery, resist the temptation to over-prune while your plant is flowering.  As indicated above, the timing of pruning is critical.  While pruning does encourage blooming, pruning at the right time as described above will preserve new buds so as to prevent short-circuiting a blooming period.

Bottom-line:  Wherever you live, prune your bougainvillea after its blooming period has ended in order to inflict the least amount of harm & enjoy the most abundant flowering. 

Why Prune a Bougainvillea Reason # 2? Bougainvillea Are Prolific Growers

This one seems obvious, but perhaps not if you are new to a bougainvillea.  If you are lucky enough to have one of these growing wonders, you likely noticed how little effort is required for them to grow… and grow… and grow.  Bougainvillea are so robust it seems they can take over the side of a building in very little time.

Bougainvillea accomplish this by adroitly working their way into cracks and crevices to climb like a champ.  This is likely why bougainvillea are known as a “vining” shrub even though it is not a true vine at all.  Of course, its ability to cover the side of building with brilliant color is part of its charm and can make for some spectacular looking curb appeal — if that’s the look you are going for.  If not, don’t worry too much, just don’t plant it near any structures it can climb, and if you do, some regular pruning will be in order.  Read on about how strategic planting can minimize your labor.

How Can You Minimize the Amount of Pruning You Have to Do on Your Bougainvillea?

Ensure Proper Placement of a Bougainvillea for Less Pruning Labor or Consider Potting Your Bougainvillea

Where Should You Plant a Bougainvillea? Choose a Location Where Your Bougainvillea Can Climb

Plant your Bougainvillea in a location where they can freely climb and spread such as a large space in the yard, a fence, rock wall, sturdy outdoor staircase, arbor or pergola.  Even a tree with open branches can serve as a stunning perch for bougainvillea to wrap itself around.

Avoid planting a bougainvillea in the ground near your house or any structure you don’t want it to climb or stick to container bougainvillea or dwarf specimens in those locations.  When a bougainvillea has something it can cascade over, it will do so with little effort.

Even in the right location, to control their tendency to spread, occasional cutting back will still be required but it will be easier to manage.  For large plants where you don’t need to worry about being precise, a chainsaw can even be used to do the job.

Protect Structural Integrity

As beautiful as a bougainvillea can be cascading over various structures, not every structure can handle being engulfed by a spreading, if gorgeous, behemoth of a climbing shrub.  Bougainvillea is both fast-growing and heavy as it grows so any structure it is placed near must be structurally sound.  Ensure structural integrity before you plant and train your bougainvillea.  This is why you need to carefully consider proper placement before planting a bougainvillea in the ground.

Why Prune a Bougainvillea Reason #3? Prune A Bougainvillea to Maintain Clear Walkways, Paths & Entrances & Keep Visitors Safe from Thorns

Avoid Blocking Walkways & Entrances

Make an effort not to plant your bougainvillea where it can block walkways, doorways or entrances.  If bougainvillea are in these spots, make sure they have an arbor or trellis to be trained over.  Also, if you still want the beauty a bougainvillea can bring to enhance these areas, instead of planting them in the ground, consider potting a container specimen or dwarf variety, which I discuss in-depth in this post and which stay smaller in size.  If you do happen to have a bougainvillea planted near a door, walkway, arbor or garage that is not container-bound or dwarf in variety, it will likely spread rather quickly and require frequent maintenance.

Keep People & Pets Safe from Thorns

With their famous thorny branches, you will want to keep both people, pets, and even other animals like bunnies, safe from your plant’s spreading thorny tentacles and risk of injury.  I have even seen a bunny get spooked when, thinking it was attacked by a predator, it got caught in some thorns near a walkway.  Trimming stragglers from the base of your plant will help clean up the area, minimize thorns, and make the space safer for all.  Observe the pruning guidelines below to make the process as effortless as possible…

Why Prune a Bougainvillea Reason #4? Prune Bougainvillea to Remove Old, Dead Branches

Well, this is pretty self-explanatory, but dead branches happen, and they will ruin the overall look of your shrub and choke out new growth.  Periodic maintenance to remove these eyesores cleans up the whole look of your plant and makes room for new, fresh growth that can yield flowers.

Why Prune a Bougainvillea Reason #5? Prune Bougainvillea to Force Thicker Growth, Contain & Train

You will likely find that any new, young bougainvillea will quickly start to sprawl and spread horizontally if it has nothing to latch onto.   If it does, prune to train it in the direction you want it to grow, contain its spread, and force upward growth.

Prune a Bougainvillea to Enhance Garden Borders, Arbors & Pergolas

To counter a messy look, and to promote a fuller, more compact plant plus more flowering, focus your efforts on pruning the base of your plant and the following the shape of your structure.  By pruning this way, you will train your plant to grow more compact and vertically over arbors, pergolas and fences, while neatening its appearance in the process.

Why Should You Prune Potted Bougainvillea?

While this will be fairly easy due to their smaller size, it will still need to be done occasionally.  Prune your potted bougainvillea at least twice a year to maintain their shape.  Pruning them keeps them small enough to relocate easily as needed when weather conditions necessitate, such as in the case of impending storms or cold snaps.

How To Prune a Bougainvillea to Shape. Train & Flower

What You Need:

1. Wear Thick Gardening Gloves & Consider Sunglasses or Goggles.  Most varieties of bougainvillea have very sharp thorns along their branches, making trimming and handling them a prickly endeavor as far as gardening chores go.  Even if you are very careful, it is a perilously thorny situation, especially when you have to grab long branches to discard them.  I recommend wearing sunglasses or even goggles so you don’t get accidentally poked in the eye, which is a risk when you have to maneuver between prickly branches to make your cuts.
2. Use A Ladder & A Friend Who Can Lend a Hand.  A ladder is necessary to reach tall shoots and, of course, wobbly ladders can, well, lead to your down-fall.  Sorry, but it’s true.  Especially with the inevitable reaching that is necessary to cut branches off in all directions, you will want someone to hold your ladder in place.  Your friend will also help by taking any debris you hand off and holding your cutting shears, so make sure it’s a trusted friend.
3. Use Sharp, Tough, Large Pruning Shears.  You need clean, heavy-duty shears that can handle tough, woody bougainvillea branches.  For oversized, intimidating shrubs, some people have even been known to use chainsaws, but of course, you can’t make very precise cuts with one of those.

Pruning, Trimming, Training

1. Shape & Prune the Outside of Your Bougainvillea First & Any Branches That Obstruct Paths or Interfere with Other Plants.  Pruning from the outside edges lets you maneuver your way to the hard-to-reach inside of the plant.  It also allows you to bring the shape you want into focus.  Of course, with each cut, your bougainvillea will grow back, but it will grow back more compact and bushier, promoting flowering and a neater overall appearance.
2. Thin Out Your Plant.  Feel free to thin out a spreading bougainvillea by cutting branches back to the trunk.  While it seems like a lot, it will grow back so don’t be shy.  Each time you cut off and remove a main branch, you plant will try to grow two new stems or branches beneath the cut.  This forces the plant to grow fuller and less straggly.
3. Cut Off Any Brown, Dead or Diseased Branches or Shoots.  It is inevitable that your bougainvillea may have some branches that are bare of leaves, brown, & essentially dead.  These can occur anywhere on your plant so be sure to cut back any you see and remove them so a healthy shoot can take its place.

Training

1. Train Your Bougainvillea on a Structure.  As you shape your plant, train it by gently wrapping shoots you are keeping around the structure you want it to grow around.  By wrapping or winding the shoots around your trellis, arbor, fence, stone wall, or staircase, you are encouraging it to grow in that direction.  You can even use ties to hold stubborn branches in place.  In no time, your bougainvillea will grow this way naturally.
2. Cut Back to Encourage Flowering.  To promote blooming around a fence, arbor or pergola, always cut older, thorny branches back to help your plant flower when the time is right.  And remember, each time you cut off and remove a main branch, you plant will try to grow two new branches beneath the cut.  This forces the plant to grow fuller, less straggly, and more dense.  Future flowers will also grow in fuller and more dense for a more striking look.  Once the flowers have faded, pinch or prune the tops of them back to where they meet the nearest branch. This deadheads old spent flower branches to encourage new growth, as well as new blooms in the future.