This journal follows the real-life journey of a Bougainvillea ‘Bois de Rose’ plant, from its day-to-day care through ongoing growth, flowering, and shaping. We update the plant’s progress over time and document important details such as light levels, temperature, watering, fertilizing, pruning, repotting, and pest and disease management.
Please note that this is not a growing journal that shows only successful results. Alongside new growth, flower buds, and peak blooms, we also record yellowing leaves, leaf drop, leggy growth, failure to flower, post-transplant recovery, and other challenges that arise along the way. We explain what action we took in each situation and how the plant responded afterward.
Through this long-term record, you can see how Bougainvillea ‘Bois de Rose’ actually performs at different stages of growth and use our experience as a reference for watering, fertilizing, pruning, and encouraging blooms in similar conditions. Every growing environment is different, with variations in climate, light, potting mix, and cultivation methods, so the approaches described here are best used as practical guidance for observation and experimentation rather than as fixed rules for every region.
We will do our best to include original photographs, consistent dates, and specific observations so that each update reflects the plant’s genuine progress. Start with the first entry and follow along as this Bougainvillea ‘Bois de Rose’ gradually grows, develops new branches, sets flower buds, and blooms again.
Prior to July 2026: The plant was completely neglected, resulting in severely desiccated potting soil, heavy root damage, and sparse, weak new growth.
Mid-July 2026: Moved outdoors to a full-sun location with consistent watering. Applied a single dose of slow-release fertilizer.
Current Status: Multiple new shoots are now flushing and growth is recovering. However, the young leaves exhibit marked chlorosis (yellowing), displaying classic signs of iron deficiency. The primary driver behind this is likely the extensive root damage caused by the prolonged period of extreme drought.
I've been so busy taking care of the baby lately that I forgot to update you on my bougainvillea! I've barely touched it, just giving it some water every now and then, and it's already blooming for the second time since I started tracking it. Had to take a photo to remember the moment!
At present, the new leaves have basically returned to green, new shoots have emerged and flowers have opened. Overall, it looks decent and is in good condition.
Leaf yellowing has improved. New leaves have turned green, new shoots have sprouted, and there is a small amount of flowering.
Although all the branches are at a horizontal angle, not many new shoots have emerged, so the amount of flowering is limited. The reasons are as follows:
Observe whether other buds can continue to sprout and bloom.
