PlantFiles: Bougainvillea
Bougainvillea 'Bambino Baby Lauren'

Bambinos are new dwarf bougainvilleas trailed by Hines Horticulture in Irvine, Ca were released for sale in the spring, 2008. These were brought into the U.S. from Redlands Bay Nursery, a wholesale nursery in Brisbane, Australia where they were developed for smaller gardens and container care. Ideal for hedges too. They are profuse bloomers on plants that stay about 40 inches tall though I have read that in the ground they can get much bigger. Their thorns are supposed to be smaller and softer also.

In general, bougainvilleas are easy plants to grow, preferring not to be fussed over. They flower better if kept dryer and with less nitrogen fertilizer. When planting be careful not to disturb the rootball. I have never had any insects attack my bougies. In my cool 9B zone, they are deciduous in the winter but leaf out each spring. Soon they are full of blooms which continue all summer into the fall as long as the temperature stays above 50 in the daytime. In warmer areas they bloom all year and are evergreen.

These are easy to grow and are so full of color over a long season.