Suggestions to trim bougainvillea

[phillyha]

Hi folks,

I recently acquired a place in north California, and there is a bougainvillea in the middle of the backyard. Any tips on how to prune this? I am supposed to take out all the water shoots, but most of the plant has them. Also the shrub has no wall support and seems like the concrete is choking it at the base.

 

[phillyha]

Some pics attached

 

[cpp gardener]

Since we're going into winter, such as it is, don't do any pruning now. Any frost we have will do a lot of the pruning for you. Wait until late March or early April to do any frost damage removal and corrective pruning. Water sprouts are a normal growth feature for Bougainvillea. Cut them at any desired height or pull them sideways to spread the growth.
The concrete issue isn't a problem since the surface is exposed on both sides of the plant.

 

[oneeye]

I like to prune bougainvillea just after the first flowering in the spring. Doing so the plant will revert back into the vegetative stage and bloom again in Summer and Fall. You should be able to get 3 blooms a year with proper pruning.