Bougainvillea Climbing Versus Bougainvillea Bush

Question

Thank you so much. You will note from the picture that we have two Bougainvilleas in our front yard. We want them to grow up the columns like vines. I was told by one nursery that we have to dig them up and replace them with the vine Bougainvilleas since these are bush Bougainvilleas . Another nursery said that’s not the case and we could simply train these to grow up the columns by using a trellis or by simply putting in screws and gently training them to go up with some ties. Could I get your opinion?

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Answer 1

You probably have a dwarf bougainvillea. They stay more compact but still need to be trimmed to keep their size in check. This article tells about the different varieties and whether they still climb. If you know what you have, this will help. It sounds like they will still grow tall if you only lightly prune for shape or to remove dead or damaged stems.

If you want the rampant growth of the regular bougainvilleas, you may want to start over with two of those.

https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/vines/bougainvillea/how-to-grow-a-dwarf-bougainvillea.htm