Question
I have a orange king bougainvillea that was planted two months ago. Everything including the branches looks dead. No leaves or foliage. Is it dead or just dormant and can it be brought back?

Answer
Hi Daniel, go to the base about 2 inches above soil level, scrape the bark with a knife and see if the underlying Cambium layer is green or brown; if it is green, then prune it way back and just wait, it will come back. If the Cambium layer shows brown, then the plant is indeed, dead. Nick