Hardiness zones:
Sunset 5-6 as annual, 12, 13, 15-17, 19, 21
USDA 9 (will sustain foliage and stem freeze damage most winters), 10 - 11 

Landscape Use: Major landscape accent plant in Mediterranean, subtropical and tropical climates around the world. Use depends on cultivar and growth characteristics ranging from expansive ground cover (such as the popular 'Raspberry Ice') on highway embankments to garden trellis, screening plant, building wall or fence covering. Dwarf cultivars are demure and ideal as container plants.

Form & Character: Festive, colorful, evergreen perennial, informal with wide variation in form and character related to cultivar growth characteristics

Growth Habit: Amazing variation in growth habit related to cultivar, ranging from rapid and sprawling to 40' to compact dwarf and diminutive to 2', needs support for height else will sprawl. 

Foliage/texture: Alternate, entire, ovate to orbicular leaves which tatter in wind, thorns on stem, medium texture

Flowers & fruits: Flowers yellow and relatively inconspicuous, bracts (3) colorful ranging from pure white, orange, pink, salmon, red, magenta to purple. Bougainvillea flowering occurs in new growth and is short day responsive. Flowering also responds to warm temperature and drought. Because of these environmental factors, bougainvilleas flower almost year-around Phoenix.

Seasonal color: Colorful bracts produced most of the year, but heaviest in fall/winter

Temperature: Freezes to ground if below 30^oF, heat loving

Light: Full sun to filtered shade

Soil: Grows well in clay soils, not as vigorous in sandy soils (fertilize lightly during spring and summer)

Watering: Must have regular deep irrigations in Phoenix, drying soil promotes flowering

Pruning: Prune to shape and control spread, can be prune severely once established

Propagation: Softwood cuttings, though very difficult to root

Disease and pests: White flies

Additional comments: There are many, many cultivars of variable form and flower bract color! It is extremely important to choose the right cultivar with the growth characteristics to match the demands and constraints of planting location. Bougainvilleas have a very fine root system. Much care must be given to not disturb the root system during transplanting from container because bougainvillea roots generally do not bind soil. Established bougainvilleas do not transplant well. Bougainvillea glabra is a climbing evergreen member of the family was first identified by Choisy about 1850.

Beware - fallen flower bracts create a HUGE litter problem for landscape "neat freaks"! They blow all over the place!