Cutting back bougainvillea, keeping plant compact

Hello,

             I am wanting to cut back hard my 3 year old Bougainvillea.  Will this destroy the plant ? or will it make it more bushy ?  I would like to make the plant more compact.  At the moment the branches are 2 metres long and I've kept them because of the flowers on the tips..can you advice please ?   Nancy,

Hi Nancy,

                  I know it can take some courage to cut back all those nice flowering stems.   But yes.....you can cut back your Bougainvillea right down to near ground level !   It will grow back more bushy in a few months.  

     However, down the track (couple more years) I would leave some stems close to your expected height (Eg 1.5m) and cut back regularly to this point.   This will make the plant produce lots of  smaller shoots (laterals) and then the plant will look very thick and bushy.   

     In regard to flowers (these are actually leaves) bougainvilleas flower on the end of the stems, so the more stems you have the more flowers you have !!    If you want your bougainvillea to flower well, cut back on the high nitrogen fertilisers and reduce excessive watering (if possible).   After pruning give the plant a chance to flower before you prune again.  

Regards  questions@gardenguide.com.au