Overview

Transform your outdoor space with the breathtaking beauty of a bougainvillea live plant. This stunning specimen, known for its vibrant, paper-like bracts, arrives as a robust 3-foot tall plant in a convenient 3-gallon nursery pot. Bougainvillea, scientifically known as Bougainvillea spectabilis, is a popular choice for gardeners seeking a resilient and showy flowering shrub. Our pink and white variety offers a delightful two-tone display, creating a captivating visual impact in any landscape. While some plants may not have flowers upon arrival, with proper care, this fast-growing plant will soon burst into an abundance of colorful blooms, providing continuous interest throughout the warmer months. Ideal for trellises, arbors, or as a vibrant standalone shrub, this bougainvillea promises to be a spectacular addition to your garden.

The Bougainvillea is a versatile plant that thrives in warm climates, bringing a touch of the tropics to your home. Its vigorous growth and stunning floral display make it a favorite for creating dramatic garden features. Whether you’re looking to add a splash of color to a sunny wall or create a vibrant container display, this bougainvillea live plant is an excellent choice for both experienced and novice gardeners alike. Prepare to be enchanted by its prolific flowering and relatively low-maintenance nature, allowing you more time to enjoy its magnificent presence.

Key Benefits

Our bougainvillea live plant offers a multitude of benefits, making it an exceptional choice for enhancing your outdoor environment:

• Vibrant Floral Display: Enjoy a long season of spectacular pink and white blooms that add an explosion of color to your garden, patio, or balcony. The bright bracts are actually modified leaves, surrounding the true, small white flowers.
• Drought Tolerance: Once established, bougainvillea is remarkably drought-tolerant, requiring less frequent watering compared to many other flowering plants, making it an excellent choice for water-wise gardening.
• Low Maintenance: This hardy shrub is relatively easy to care for, thriving with minimal intervention once its basic needs for sun and well-draining soil are met. Pruning helps maintain its shape and encourages more blooms.
• Versatile Landscaping: Perfect for a variety of uses, including groundcover, climbing vines on trellises, container plants, or even trained as a small tree. Its adaptability allows for creative garden designs.
• Fast Growing: Bougainvillea is known for its vigorous growth habit, quickly establishing itself and producing abundant flowers, allowing you to enjoy its beauty sooner.
• Attracts Pollinators: While not its primary feature, the small true flowers can attract some beneficial pollinators to your garden, contributing to a healthy ecosystem.
• Erosion Control: When planted on slopes, the extensive root system of pink and white bougainvillea can help stabilize soil and prevent erosion.

Plant Care & Growing Tips

Caring for your bougainvillea live plant is straightforward, especially when you understand its preferences. Bougainvillea thrives in full sun, meaning it needs at least 6 hours of direct sunlight per day to produce its best blooms. In hotter climates, some afternoon shade can be beneficial to prevent scorching, but too much shade will result in fewer flowers and more foliage. This plant is well-suited for outdoor growing in USDA hardiness zones 9-11, where it can be grown as a perennial. In cooler zones, it can be grown in containers and brought indoors during winter or treated as an annual.

When it comes to watering, bougainvillea prefers deep, infrequent watering once established. Allow the soil to dry out completely between waterings to encourage flowering; overwatering can lead to lush foliage but fewer blooms. Good drainage is crucial, so ensure your soil or potting mix is well-draining. A slightly acidic to neutral soil pH (5.5-6.5) is ideal. Fertilize sparingly with a balanced fertilizer, or one higher in phosphorus to promote blooming, during its active growing season (spring and summer). Avoid high-nitrogen fertilizers, which encourage leafy growth at the expense of flowers. Regular pruning will help maintain its shape, control its size, and encourage a bushier growth habit with more flowers, especially important for a 3 gallon bougainvillea that you want to keep compact.

Common problems include leaf drop if moved or stressed, and occasional pests like aphids or scale, which can typically be managed with horticultural oil or insecticidal soap. Providing adequate sunlight and proper watering are the most critical factors for a healthy, blooming bougainvillea live plant. Remember that some plants might not have flowers upon arrival, but with consistent care, your plant will soon reward you with its spectacular floral display. Learning about bougainvillea care will ensure your plant thrives beautifully.

Size & Details

This offering is for one robust bougainvillea live plant, standing approximately 3 feet tall from the base of the pot. It is shipped securely in a 3-gallon nursery pot, providing a well-established root system ready for planting. The plant exhibits a vigorous growth habit and, with proper support, can reach impressive lengths when trained as a vine. When grown as a shrub, its spread can be managed through regular pruning. The growth rate is considered fast, allowing you to quickly enjoy its mature beauty. Expect continuous blooming during the warmer months, especially in frost-free regions. The plant’s mature size can vary depending on growing conditions and whether it’s allowed to climb or is maintained as a shrub. This size is ideal for immediate impact in your garden or for a substantial container planting.

Frequently Asked Questions

• Q: How big does this plant get? A: This bougainvillea live plant is approximately 3 feet tall upon arrival. With proper care and support, it can grow much larger, often reaching 15-30 feet as a vine or 3-5 feet as a shrub, depending on pruning and growing conditions.
• Q: What size pot does it come in? A: The plant is shipped in a 3-gallon nursery pot, providing a healthy root system for successful transplanting.
• Q: Is this an indoor or outdoor plant? A: Bougainvillea is primarily an outdoor plant, thriving in full sun in USDA Zones 9-11. In cooler climates, it can be grown in containers and brought indoors during winter.
• Q: How much sunlight does it need? A: For abundant blooms, your pink and white bougainvillea requires at least 6 hours of direct sunlight per day. More sun generally means more flowers.
• Q: Is this plant easy to care for? A: Yes, bougainvillea is considered relatively easy to care for, especially once established. Its drought tolerance and need for minimal fertilization make bougainvillea care quite manageable for most gardeners.
• Q: What condition will it arrive in? A: Your plant will arrive as a healthy, live plant in a 3-gallon pot. As noted, some plants might not have flowers upon arrival, but will bloom with proper care.
• Q: Is it shipped in soil? A: Yes, the plant is shipped in its original 3-gallon nursery pot with soil to ensure its health and minimize transplant shock.
• Q: How long until it blooms? A: While some plants may not have flowers upon arrival, with proper sunlight and watering, your bougainvillea should begin to bloom within a few weeks to a couple of months during its active growing season.
• Q: When is the best time to plant? A: The best time to plant bougainvillea is during spring or early summer, after the last frost, allowing it ample time to establish before cooler weather.
• Q: Will it survive winter in my zone? A: Bougainvillea is hardy in USDA Zones 9-11. In colder zones, it will need winter protection or should be grown in a container and overwintered indoors. This is key to successful outdoor flowering shrub cultivation.