Bougainvillea (Bougainvillea buttiana)
Care, watering, light and tips for Bougainvillea on Floravia.
Quick facts
- Family: Nyctaginaceae
- Difficulty: Easy to care for
- Watering: every 3 days
- Light: Partial shade
- Temperature: 10–30 °C
- Toxicity: Toxic to pets
About Bougainvillea
Bougainvillea buttiana is a vigorous climbing shrub, a hybrid of Bougainvillea glabra and Bougainvillea peruviana, renowned for its spectacular, brightly colored bracts surrounding small white flowers. Its thorny branches and evergreen or semi-evergreen foliage make it ideal for covering walls, pergolas, and trellises, adding a tropical and Mediterranean flair to gardens and patios. Its abundant and prolonged flowering makes it an impressive focal point in warm landscapes.
Native range
South America (hybrid of B. glabra and B. peruviana)
Care tips
It requires full direct sun for at least 6 hours a day to bloom profusely; lack of light reduces flowering. Watering should be moderate once established, allowing the substrate to dry out between waterings to avoid waterlogging, as it is sensitive to overwatering. It prefers well-drained, slightly acidic soil, such as a cactus mix or universal soil with coarse sand. A common mistake is overwatering or fertilizing with too much nitrogen, which promotes foliage growth at the expense of flowers.
How to save a dying Bougainvillea
- Warning signs
- Yellow or dropping leaves, lack of flowering, dry or brittle branches. May look lifeless in winter, this is normal!
- First aid
- Check drainage. If potted, repot to a larger one if roots show. Prune by removing dry or diseased branches. Reduce watering in winter, increase during flowering.
- What kills it
- Overwatering, especially in winter, rots roots. Lack of direct sun or poorly drained soil are also fatal. Does not tolerate hard frosts.
- Can it be saved?
- Yes, they are very resilient! With good pruning, sun, and proper watering, they usually recover. Be patient, revival may take time.