yes... it's a tropical... cold weather makes it die back... covering it will help.

We've had 8 frosty nights so far, and I simply drape over Christmas lights during the entire winter. After 8 frosty nights, here's how it looks now:
{{gwi:567004}}

That's a good idea, Joe. I have one that's out next to a boulder in the field by the drive. I always worry about it, but I guess the boulder is enough heat mass to keep it from getting too cold..... but I always worry..... you'd think after 9 years it should know how to survive. I think I might "dress" it for the holidays.

I think it is too late for this year to try to save it, but next year I will try these suggestions! Thanks
Elly29

Elly, if others in your neighborhood are faring better, you might consider two problems: (1) you might have a more tender variety, and/or (2) yours is not in the best part of your yard.

The toughest ones are "Barbara Karst" and "San Diego Red," and maybe a few others. We live in inland bay area (walnut creek) and our "San Diego Red"s (we have four of them) bloom right through the winter without any protection or special care whatsoever. We've had them for five years. Never lost even a leaf. And they are in good spots -- lots of reflected light and warmth on the walls of the house. Is yours very shady? Very exposed? Is it perhaps a more tender variety (usually the oranges, pinks, whites, etc are tender).

Maybe next year, buy a good ol' "San Diego Red" and plant it in a different spot to compare performance.

It may also be that you live in a microclimate that's getting just a few degrees colder than other parts of town, and that can make all the difference with a borderline plant. We moved 1.5 miles from our last house and get almost no frost in this location but had lots at the old one (banana belt vs. cold pocket). So far, we've had 2 nights of frost but everything looks good in the yard.

I happened to keep most of the tags on my plants and shrubs because I planted all new plants this year in a new house. My bougainvillea is Southern Rose and rated to 30 degrees and it survived to down to 22 degree temps for 4 days. Only the very tips got singed, but it is between the fence and the house, so I picked a good place for it and the place was picked on purpose because I want to look out my living room window and see it, not the neighbors house and windows. It is a rosy pink, I wanted a red but is was the only color available when I bought one. Not really rated for my area either so I'm surprised it not only survived but it's still green and not dormant yet. I think mine is then in a good spot and the next time I know it's going to be that cold I'm going to go ahead and cover it just to make sure. After a couple years it's supposed to be hardy enough, mature enough to make it through winters on it's own if it's in a good location according to the Western Garden Book, I looked it up after my own freeze problems. Leslie

kerrican -- I'm happy to hear your good report about San Diego Red. My husband brought home a plant of that same variety two days ago. I have since researched the probable size when it's full grown, but am happy to hear about it from someone who grows it in our climate.

Not to be a "party crasher" of sorts, since it's been many years since I lived in CA, but it seems to me I often saw our local ones in the beach communities of Hermosa and Manhattan Beach looking "almost" dead and being entirely leafless some winters especially, though I'd guess prolonged droughts and lack of watering by homeowners would account for that behavior, and often they'd still be covered with flowers while nearly leafless! I'd not mistake that bare appearance for being real dieback, and they do tend to lose leaves quite easily I think , when any unfavorable chilly weather even persists or prolonged droughts, so I'd not jump to the conclusion they're dieing unless those newest branch tips are turing very brown and brittle, and if they're still "greenish" they're most likely waiting for better growing conditions to return , when they'll again leaf out again? I could be wrong, but that's the best conclusion I can come to, short of some hard frosts really killing them etc. Meanwhile mine always lose tons of leaves indoors here in Michigan when brought indoors for the winter, though for some strante reason, I always get winter flowers , but never any summer ones while they're outdoors growing under the best conditions? Strange I'd think?

birdinthepalm, your bouggie is suffering from winter leaf drop when you brought it indoors. The very low indoor humidity due to heating stresses out the plants whose roots are still too cool to catch up, and to balance up, it shed a lot of leaves. Happens when there is dramatic change instead of gradual. As long as the plant won't die from your non-voluntarily induced stress, it thinks it's gonna die soon and would tend to be in reproductive mode to procreate the species that's why it blooms. Behaves almost like citruses. When conditions are becoming good, it would take its own sweet time to stack up on reserves for the anticipated stressing out the next cycle, so it doesn't flower under the best of times. There are several tricks to having these bloom in the summer by water stressing them out mildly, I am assuming that bouggies are day-neutral plants.

It seems I'm always in sort of a catch 22 situation when my bougies are outdoors, since I want lush leaf growth and flowers as well, and though I've tried to stress them and reduce watering, they wilt very badly even when getting a bit on the dry side, and then I increase watering again, least they loose all those beautiful summer leaves. I do recall however, reading an article about that stress thing inducing repeat blooming cycles in the case of the bougies, and in one instance with container grown ones, an Indian man would supposedly remove them from their containers, remove the soil, and allow the roots to dry out completely for several days, and then would repot them and gradually increase water til they'd leaf out again, and would supposedly flower very heavily without fail. Not sure I'm ready to try that approach however, and I have had mine for over ten years. In regards to the humidity , I do have very high indoor humidity compared to most homes, but the big change in light does seem to shock them every fall , when they're brought indoors and they once again lose most of their leaves. I do get those winter flowers when they're nearly leafess on some occasions.