How to get bougainvillea to grow across my entrance?

sugarplum_mum

Hi there,

id like some advise please on how to grow my potted Bougainvillea over the concrete entrance frame near my front door.

i had used outdoor command hooks to secure wire, but after a year they have fallen off.

what can i use to grow the bougainvillea across the top frame please?

Many thanks

nicole 

MitchellMc

Hi @sugarplum_mum,

Bougainvilleas are beautiful plants, but can definitely be a bit of a handful as they grow. Over time, they develop thick woody stems and can become quite heavy, so they’ll need a strong support system to help them grow safely across your entrance frame.

Outdoor Command hooks and lightweight wires are handy in the short term, but as you've seen, they won't hold up once the plant gains size and weight. What you'll need instead is a more robust setup, typically stainless steel wire rope fixed securely into the structure. If the area is solid concrete, you can use masonry anchors or screw eye bolts with masonry plugs to attach the wire rope along the path you want the bougainvillea to follow. Space the fixings out evenly to support the weight across the frame.

That said, it’s worth double-checking what material you're working with. Often, what looks like concrete near a front door is actually fibre cement cladding. If that's the case, you shouldn't rely on the cladding alone to hold any fixings. Instead, you'll need to locate the structural timber frame behind the cladding and screw through into that for a secure hold. A stud finder can help you locate these timbers, or you might be able to spot nail lines or feel for solid areas behind the cladding.

Once your support system is in place, gently tie the bougainvillea branches to the wire using soft garden ties, and keep training new growth along the wires. 

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Mitchell