How to trim Bougainvillea?

We have a bougainvillea plant that we want to make into a tree. How do you do this and when?

How to trim Bougainvillea?
To prune your bougainvillea into a tree form, you follow the same procedure you would to turn a rose, wisteria, or other bushy or vining plant into this form. Select a strong upright stem as your "trunk." Put a strong stake in the ground several inches away from it, disturbing the roots as little as possible. Use plastic or velcro ties, or twist ties, to fasten your trunk stem to the stake every 4 inches or so. Don't pull the ties too tight, just enough to hold them in place. Then prune off the other stems that come from ground level or very low to the ground. If your trunk is as tall as you want your tree to be, pinch out the growing tip; if it's not tall enough yet, just keep fastening it to the stake as it grows until it reaches the height you want. Then you will continue pruning the other growth so it conforms to the tree shape. Don't take off too much at once, because it needs enough leaves for photosynthesis. You will need to continue to prune it to refine the shape. You didn't mention what climate you are in but bougainvilleas are pretty cold sensitive, so plan on keeping it sheltered to get it through any cold weather. Since it will be a somewhat gradual process to achieve the shape you are looking for, assuming that you aren't going to have a cold snap in the next month to 6 weeks, I would suggest selecting your trunk, staking, and pruning away the lowest unneeded branches now, then light pruning until winter. When spring comes and it returns to active growth, you can do more of the final shaping.
Reply:Try these


http://lifestyle.iafrica.com/your_home/g...


http://cals.arizona.edu/maricopa/garden/...


Good Luck and be careful