Bougainvillea is a tropical plant, so only is reliably hardy in zones 9-11. Some people in some parts of zone 8 can grow them and keep them alive through most winters if they are carefully sited in a warm microclimate, are well-mulched, weren't fertilized or watered too late in autumn (because it causes lots of new growth that will be very vulnerable to freezing), etc. So, there's pretty much no chance that bougainvillea would survive the winter here in OK where we are in zones 6 and 7. It could be grown in pots if you can move them indoors into the house in winter (I did that in zone 8 when I lived in Texas) or into a heated greenhouse.

Bougainvillea needs well-drained soil, and it does best in full sun. It adores hot weather. It always did much better for me in pots than in the ground. It cycles in and out of bloom, so doesn't provide colorful bracts every day during the growing season, but has them for maybe 3 to 5 weeks or even 4 to 6 weeks out of time before it cycles out of bloom for a few weeks. It actually is the bracts that have the gorgeous color as the flowers themselves are small and inconspicuous.

I think that bougainvillea is gorgeous when it has the growing conditions it likes, but here in Oklahoma we only can grow it as an annual. I'm in zone 7b about as far south as you can live in Oklahoma and not be living in Texas instead, and I've never even attempted to grow bougainvillea here because even this far south, we usually have at least a few nights with temperatures in the single digits. In fact, I have a greenhouse, but I don't heat it in winter and even though the unheated greenhouse stays somewhat warmer than the outside air, I wouldn't be able to keep bougainvillea alive in the greenhouse because temperatures there often drop into the teens on cold nights.

If you like it enough that you want to attempt to grow it in a pot and carry it indoors in the winter, buy the largest one you can afford because the larger and older the roots, the better the blooms and the longer you can leave it outdoors in autumn as the temperatures drop.

Love the way it looks. Had one for several years, after it almost died for my daughter while she lived in Corpus Christi, Texas.

But it had to come indoors in the winter.

I am not good with babying plants. Mostly they have to survive outside all year long.

This is why I no longer own one. ;)

Moni

PS, I live in Oklahoma City

We have two, in pots, which we purchased near Durant. They struggled to survive the winter on our sun porch, which doesn't freeze, but gets pretty cold. I have them under a mimosa, in our front yard. They're looking good now, though still no bracts. I have discovered that they thrive if I water them a little each day, using the rinsings from our French press coffee maker. We are kind of attached to this plant, since they grew everywhere, when we lived in Mexico. Also, the red or pink colored bracts are a good source of a natural antihistamine, and we have a fantastic recipe for the world's best cough medicine, which uses them, garlic, eucalyptus and other smelly things.

George
Tahlequah, OK

George, take 'em out into the sun and they'll bloom - I mean bract.
We had one climbing a phone pole ourside the window when we lived in Berkely, and the sun on the bracts was blinding.
I love them, but can't baby them, either, Moni

Thank you Moni. I will try that!

George