Go for Barbara Karst or San Diego Red..both will bloom in any climate including gloomy Monterey. You might be buying them too small..those little root systems don't handle transplanting very well. Go for a larger one that has filled its pot with roots...so no shock going into the ground. Now is a great time to start.

I agree, those two are the most winter hardy and are sure fire winners. Also, you may be feeding them too much. A lean bougainvillea is a good bloomer. And what is your watering schedule, beyond feeding them?

Also, you may have created a "pot' environment by making a special soil mix in a hole. The latest idea is to not do that. Just dig a hole and carefully slip the bougie's roots into the ready made hole and carefully backfill.

as above, and plant when the soil is really warmed up, June is a good time. When they are small the root systems are sensitive and fragile. Once really established, you can't kill them.

As to blooming, they bloom only on new growth, so once thoroughly established, you can cut them back very hard for the best floral display.

Kathi

Kathi has some beautys. Cultivars that tend to need more heat to bloom well. I've seen the white "Jamaica" planted next to Barbara Karst in Fremont (much warmer than S.F.) and Barbara blooms months earlier then the white.

I've seen photos of soucal plantings of Bougies of color grafted on to one plant. THAT couldn't look more tropical. Reds, Oranges,Whites,Purple,..just as they say glorious and a riot of color.