Is Bougainvillea a house plant???

[Jeff & Susan Stringer]

Hi Guys&Gals,
I'm back, after spending more time busying myself around the house than
on the computer. Once again I'm thrilled at the beautiful early spring
here in Tennessee. (Also secretly dreading the on set of summer heat
and drought). But for the moment, my front yard is BEAUTIFUL! I highly
recommend planting Tennessee Turf in the fall for one outstanding lawn
in the spring (in TN zone 7 at least). My daffodils are waning and my
peonies are turning green while my irises are putting on buds (I even
have one white one in bloom) and my Joseph's coat rose is full and lush
- All thanks in part to info discussed in this newsgroup.

BUT! I think I screwed up! Is bougainvillea a house plant???? I
bought two of them off the sidewalk at Home Depot last year. They were
spectacular last fall covered in yellow and hot pink "blooms" that I
believe were actually leaves. The pot says "Bougainvillea 'Rainbow
Gold' Vigorous evergreen vine in warm climates. Gold flower bracts
srp-fall. Plant against a wall or fence, full sun."

Now, that sounds to me like a lovely thing to plant in the full sun on a
trellis in the front of my garden. I didn't think anything about it
dying, although the fast cold snaps last winter did freeze all it's
green leaves. Last fall and early winter here were confusing the heck
out of all my plants by being alternately unseasonably warm and then to
cold. My Joseph's coat rose tried to bloom between Thanksgiving and
Christmas when we had an abnormally warm sunny spell. Every thing
suffered when winter hit again fast.

I was sort of waiting for the bougainvillea to bud out again, but I
think they are both shot. Is it a house plant? or was it our strange
weather that did them in?

BTW, my rhododendron is looking sort of dead also. Should I hold out
hope or chuck it?

Hugs,
Susan

[David J. Bockman]

I know many bonsai enthusiasts who train Bougies as bonsai, a few of them
keep them indoors. It's tough but it can be done.

--
David J. Bockman, Fairfax, VA (USDA Hardiness Zone 7)
On The World Wide Web: http://www.bunabayashi.com
email: d...@bunabayashi.com

Jeff & Susan Stringer <stri...@cdc.net> wrote in message
news:8FEC29CB079E1099.2A2F74BD...@lp.airnews.net...

[Michael Steinel]

Sorry, but Bougainvillaea is a tropical from South America, hardy only
in Zone 10, warmer parts of Zone 9. Possibly with protection in
favorable sites in Zone 8. Definitely not Nashville unless global
warming is progressing faster than I thought. Bought from places like
Home Depot, they make fairly inexpensive potted plants or hanging
baskets for the summer. You could try carrying them over indoors. Have
read that they need a cool, humid greenhouse.

[A User]

i did live in knoxville and was told the bougainvilleas should be
brought indoors in the winter as they suffer below 55 degrees. i am in
zone 8b alabama now and wintered my bougainvilleas indoors. one crazy
one bloomed this winter, but the rest were dormant. i pruned them
back, kept them in a sunny room, and watered just enough to keep them
going. they like to be pot bound so that is why 2 are doing well going
into spring and 2 are spindly. i plan to put them outdoors when the
nighttime temps are over 55. some type of cricket kept munching on my
variegated varieties last summer, but other than that they did fine.