If you’re as passionate about gardening as I am and live in a warmer climate, bougainvillea is a must-have for your garden. Its vibrant colors during the growing season are unmatched, bringing an explosion of color to any space. Proper pruning is essential to keep your bougainvillea thriving and bursting with blooms. In this guide, you’ll discover the best techniques for bougainvillea pruning in late winter, spring, summer, and fall, ensuring your plants stay healthy, vigorous, and full of color.
In late winter or early spring, it’s time to start preparing for the warmer seasons to come. Bougainvillea is a vigorous grower and needs pruning throughout the year. When, how often, and how severe depends on where you live, what shape or form it’s growing in now, and what shape you want it to take on.
I’ve grown bougainvillea in two different climate zones for years now: Santa Barbara, CA (USDA hardiness zones 10a & 10b) and Tucson, AZ (zones 9a & 9b). Not sure what zone you’re in? You can check your hardiness zone on a map. I’ll tell you from experience: bougainvillea isn’t hard to shape, but it can take some work.
Note: This post was published on 2/22/2020. It was updated on 8/17/2024.
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Table of Contents
Bougainvillea Pruning Guides
Pruning Bougainvillea After a Freeze
How to Prune an Overgrown Bougainvillea
Bougainvillea Winter Pruning and Training
Bougainvillea Pruning FAQs
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Bougainvillea Pruning Guides
There are different varieties of bougainvillea, and the lower-growing ones don’t require as much pruning as the tall climbing/vine types. The bottom line is that pruning leads to a healthy plant. Bougainvillea blooms on new growth, and pruning stimulates new growth, which, in turn, stimulates flowering. A good reason to prune!
I’m often asked how to prune a bougainvillea after an overnight freeze, the best time of year to do pruning, and the best pruning practices. Everything I share is from experience. This is a round-up of our most popular posts on pruning this beloved landscape plant. Click on the title, and it’ll take you to the post.
Pruning Bougainvillea After a Freeze
Bougainvillea grows in warm climates. One night, a freeze damaged my bougainvillea plants. Here are a few tips on pruning bougainvillea after a light freeze. I now have experience pruning bougainvillea after a few hard freezes, so I share that, too.
A bougainvillea branch with some flowers & freeze damage.
Explore More
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How to Prune and Trim Bougainvillea for Maximum Bloom
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The Big Winter Pruning & Training Of My Bougainvillea
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How to Prune an Overgrown Bougainvillea
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Pruning Bougainvillea: Getting This Flowering Machine to Bloom
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Pruning Bougainvillea In Summer (Mid-Season) To Encourage More Bloom
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How & When I Prune My Bougainvillea After A Freeze
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Planting Bougainvillea in Pots: Key Tips + The Mix To Use
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Bougainvillea Plant Care: A Growing Guide Full Of Tips
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Mastering Bougainvillea: A Bougainvillea Tutorial To Grow Beautiful, Vibrant Plants
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Pruning Lantana: How To Prune 2 Types Of Lantana Plants
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Shrimp Plant Needs a Good Pruning Every Year
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How to Prune Off and Plant An Air Layered Rubber Tree Plant
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How To Plant Bougainvillea To Grow Successfully: The Most Important Thing To Know
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My Shrimp Plant Pruning Experiment
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How to Prune and Feed Mint Plants
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Pruning & Propagating Peperomia Obtusifolia (Baby Rubber Plant)
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How Not To Prune A Weeping Plant
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Paddle Plant Propagation: How To Prune & Take Cuttings
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Bougainvillea In Pots: Essential Care & Growing Tips
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How To Prune Oregano: How to Cut Back This Culinary Herb
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Bougainvillea After A Hard Freeze, Part 1
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Bromeliad Flowers Losing Color: When & How To Prune Them Off
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Bougainvillea Care Tips For This Flowering Machine
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Desert Rose Pruning: How I Prune My Adenium
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How to Care for Bougainvillea in Winter
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How to Prune an Overgrown Bougainvillea
I moved into a home in Tucson with an overgrown bougainvillea that needed hard pruning. Here, you can see how I prune and train the plant to have a better shape and bring on a big show of flowers. The plant grew into a beautiful shape and provided lots of rosy-red color to the dining patio off the kitchen.
Bougainvillea which needs pruning growing up the side of a white wall.
Bougainvillea Winter Pruning and Training
I had a bougainvillea glabra that grew up and across the top of my garage in Santa Barbara. See how I pruned and trained this large bougainvillea. I gave it a big yearly pruning in winter, which set the tone for the shape it would be for the rest of the year. When in full bloom, this bougie was an eye-catching explosion of color!
Close up of a bougainvillea half covered with magenta blooms.
Bougainvillea Summer Pruning (Mid-Season)
Why have bougainvillea if it doesn’t bloom? Pruning it in summer (mid-season for this plant) encourages another round or two of big bloom. Here are a few pruning tips to help you get the most out of your bougainvillea for the rest of the season and into fall.
A red/pink bougainvillea barbara karst growing in an open shrub form.
How to Get Bougainvillea to Bloom.
Pruning this plant (especially the larger growing species/varieties like you see below) can be time-consuming but worth the adventure. My Bougainvillea Barbara Karst in Tucson had been pruned into a “green hedge/blob” by the previous owner. Here’s how I opened it up and got it to bloom for months.
A bougainvillea glabra covered in magenta blooms growing up & over a garage.
How to Prune and Trim Bougainvillea For Maximum Bloom
Check out my Bougainvillea glabra in Santa Barbara – it’s a riot of color! Want to see this happen in your own garden? Here’s how I prune and trim my bougainvillea for maximum bloom. Like with all these posts, there’s a video for you also.
Looking at a bougainvillea glabra covered in masses of magenta blooms.
Looking to master the art of growing bougainvillea? We’ve got you covered! Explore our Bougainvillea Tutorial package, complete with videos and PDFs, plus our concise ebook, Growing Bougainvillea Successfully. These resources offer everything you need to cultivate stunning, vibrant plants easily.
Bougainvillea Pruning FAQs
A collage with 2 different bougainvilleas in full bloom & 2 types of pruners & gloves the text reads bougainvillea pruning tips.
Conclusion:
So, even a simple tip prune can encourage new growth and more blooms. That’s why it’s important to prune or do a light trimming of your bougainvillea after each major flowering cycle. This practice promotes fresh growth and brings on the vibrant blooms we all love. If you’re passionate about creating a beautiful garden, you’ll truly appreciate the long, abundant flowering periods that bougainvillea offers.