The Best Place To Plant A Bougainvillea?

Question

I have a SW and a NW spot for planting. Which would be a better? I live in Seminole, Florida

Answer 1

They prefer warm, well draining, full sun locations, defined as much more than 6 hours of direct sun exposure in the summer months. In Seminole's USDA Zone 9b, you may encounter some winters in which the top growth is killed by cold temperatures if you do not winter protect so consider also growing it in pots. But you could try growing it outside too and annually prune off any dead wood killed by winter as I have one near me in Zone 8a that faithfully returns and blooms even with low temperatures of -2°F. That specimen is in a SW exposure. Of course, it starts to bloom slightly later than if winter did not kill the top growth. For more information, you can refer to: https://gardeningsolutions.ifas.ufl.edu/plants/ornamentals/bougainvillea.html and https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/vines/bougainvillea/bougainvillea-garden-care.htm