I learned something new recently that could help with flowering, though it won't help with keeping them compact. As a bougainvillea grows, at each leaf node there is a chance of one of two things happening; either it will form a thorn or it will form a flower. By clipping a bougainvillea, it often makes it so that the plant will go into 'thorn mode' for a time before going back to flowering (perhaps a defense mechanism?) You can try to force blooming by using specialized fertilizers formulated to induce flowering; these are often found for veggies, but sometimes pretty much the same formulation is packaged as bougainvillea fertilizer and marked up a little more. Ultimately though, the best way to get a bougainvillea to flower is to leave it alone.

Propagate your own root stock the easy way with 'Pot Over Pan' To obtaining sturdy bougainvillea roots, take a young potted plant and stand it over an empty upturned pot, larger and shallow. For ease of description, growers call this the 'Pot Over Pan' method. This pot upturned pot should preferably be shallow - say not more than 3 or 4in. in depth, with a base wider than the upper pot - that is why it can also be called a 'pan'. It must have large holes (carefully made with a chisel or drill) at its base. The upturned pot should then be placed directly over the earth. Or filled with earth before upturning. Here is how it is done. Pot as you normally would for a young plant, but do not close up the holes at the bottom with broken bricks. Leave them relatively open, but plugged with a thin layer of dried grass or coconut husk. Then position the potted plant over the upturned pot in . such a way that the holes of both pots are aligned. Where you place this setup is important. You should choose a patch of ground in your garden which is quiet yet sunny and where there is little disturbance from gardeners or grasscutters. Loosen the soil in the ground, and better still, add soil mix and work it into the ground. Soon roots will appear, unrestrained, from the bottom of the upper pot and reach through the large holes of the upturned pot, heading straight down into the earth - now rich with soil mix - in search of water and nutrients. Gradually the roots will have firmly anchored into the earth, but harvest only when they have developed to a diameter of 3/16-1/4 in. or more. Do this by gently cutting off the roots from under the base of the pot holding the young plant, making sure you do not damage the roots. (When this is done, you will notice that the leaves of the plant will start to droop due to the shock. All you need do to revive it is to water the plant and transfer it to a shady spot, and soon it will resume its normal healthy self.) Next, lift up the upturned pot carefully. You will see that the roots, quite likely mixed with soil, curled around inside, and with their bottom ends firmly anchored to the earth. Cut them off at the base unless you can gently but firmly pull them out from the earth. Finally remove the soil from the harvested roots, wash them thoroughly, and plant them as root stock. The usual method of root grafting can be practised. If upturned pot was filled with dirt, then cut dirt into 3 parts and trans plant each root set in its pot. Align holes between the two pots to allow roots to reach the Cover holes of pot with thin layer of dried grass or coconut husk. After some months, roots reach downwards through large holes inuptumed pot. Loosen existing soil in the ground, and better still, add soil mix. Cut off roots from plants. Remove roots by digging gently so as not to damage them. Transplant.

The garden is looking good. You seem to put a lot of work into it. I wish we could get some rain too but at least it has been a nice temperature to work outside in. Love the little bougie. Do they stay that shape or is it your pruning that keeps them bushy? I would like one that doesn't send out long canes. The dahlias should look good when they grow. Don't forget to put a photo on then :)

I don't get it. You mean there is a point where bougs DO NOT have thorns? Really, what is the difference if they are big or small? THe little ones jab just as hard as the big ones...maybe even harder IMO! Go ahead and trim the heck out of that bougie and then sit back and watch as it explodes with new growth and color! I've got one that is at least 10 years old that's growing up and over the house onto the sun deck on the second floor. You can almost hear it saying "Oh yeah? I'll show you!" when it's trimmed back off the railing. I've never seen such a prolific flowering plant. Hibiscus is nice too, I've got some huge ones in the backyard, but they are much more sensitive to bugs and genreally need more care and TLC. Boogs just love the abuse. Take a chainsaw or large trimmer to that boogie and show it who's boss. It will reward you with more flowers.