Regular pruning care is essential for successfully cultivating a bougainvillea - for several reasons. In this article you will find out how to keep your decorative climbing plant he althy and in shape.
How and when do I cut back a bougainvillea?
Bougainvillea should be pruned twice a year: before winter break to reduce long shoots and after winter break to remove dead branches and contour to the desired shape. Watch out for thorns and avoid pruning too hard.
Why does bougainvillea need regular pruning care?
First of all, bougainvillea is a fast-growing plant. It goes without saying that in domesticated culture it needs to be stopped at regular intervals. As with other plants, pruning also serves to rejuvenate and strengthen. In addition, the bougainvillea is a particularly decorative gardening plant and the cut is therefore “purely a formality”. Depending on whether you want to keep it as a tree with a trunk, as a shrub or as a tall espalier figure, the contours need to be gradually sharpened.
The cutting reasons at a glance:
- rapid growth of bougainvillea needs to be reprimanded
- Pruning rejuvenates and strengthens the plant
- Sharpening the cultural form
The ideal cutting frequency
So how often should you give your bougainvillea a rejuvenating and shaping pruning? Due to the hibernation required in our latitudes, pruning before and after the vegetative rest period is recommended.
Before winter break
Before moving into winter accommodation, a reduction is usually necessary simply for reasons of space. If you let the bougainvillea grow outside over the summer, its tendrils will also have to be detached from the wall or railing, which costs it anyway. Be sure to shorten all long shoots for wintering.
After the winter break
If you take the bougainvillea out again in spring, you can give it another finer cut. Now it's time to remove all dead branches and contour them according to your preferred culture. If you want to keep it as a tree, shorten the growth below the crown. As a shrub, you can give it a few precise shortenings depending on your preferred silhouette. In espalier cultivation, the vertical length is the measure of the cutting shape.
Be careful of thorns and too much pruning
Since the bougainvillea is thorny, it is of course difficult to care for it when pruned. So before the campaign, equip yourself with robust gauntlets (€16.00 on Amazon) and durable clothing. You should also be careful not to cut back too much. Given the comparatively low light conditions here, that would be a shame for the overall lifespan of the bougainvillea.
