Bougainvillea care in Mallorca

A bougainvillea that grows strongly and refuses to flower is almost always getting too much water, too much feed, or both. This is a plant that flowers when it is slightly stressed. Treat it well and you get a magnificent green climber with nothing on it.

Water less than feels right

Once established, a bougainvillea in the ground on Mallorca needs very little. Cutting back the water in late spring is what pushes it into flower. If it sits on the same irrigation zone as thirsty planting it will never dry out enough, which is one more argument for zoning a system by thirst rather than by geography.

Feed almost never

High-nitrogen feed produces leaves at the expense of bracts. If you feed at all, use something low in nitrogen and higher in potassium, and use it sparingly. Most established plants here need nothing.

When to prune

After the main flush, and again lightly in late winter to shape it before growth starts. Bougainvillea flowers on new growth, so a hard cut in late winter is followed by strong flowering later in the season. Wear thick gloves. The thorns are vicious and the punctures are prone to infection.

Where to plant it

Full sun, sharp drainage, and against something it can be tied to. It is not self-clinging, whatever it looks like on an old wall, so it needs wires or a frame. Keep it away from paths where people brush past, and well back from a pool: it sheds constantly, and the bracts end up in the water.

More on planting for this climate in Mediterranean garden plants that work on Mallorca, and on keeping things off the water in planting around a pool. For pruning or replanting, send the job through and vetted local companies will quote it.