Question
Dear Nick, I live in the north of Tucson Arizona, a beautiful place near by the mountains. Nevertheless, every time I plant a bouganville, it dies.  Seeing that there are lots of beautiful bouganville around Tucson, I wonder what I must do to have a blooming healthy bouganville in the zone I live. Does it need a very rich soil? When is the best time to plant a bouganville in Tucson?
Thanks
Sam

Answer
Hi Sam, I am not certain of your climate zone, but Bougs do need a lot of Sun and water only when needed, (too much water will do them in every time..); they are semi tropical and temps below 30 degrees will shock them severely.  The soil base is not that important, here in Florida we grow them in a very sandy mix, and they do just fine. I am inclined to think that you may be fussing too much about them and thats the worst thing you can do; put it in full Sun and water it only when needed, there is a special Boug fertilizer, but a 10-10-10 granular twice a year will do fine. Nick