Growing bougainvillea in pots is easy to do. Select a location in full sun where it will promote the most bloom. Bougainvillea is one of the few flowering plants that can handle west-facing exposures.
Provide support for them to grow upward if desired. You can also grow bougainvillea as more of a compact shrub form if you wish.
Water deeply and allow the top 2 inches to dry out before watering again. Bougainvillea does best when the soil is allowed to dry out between watering.
Apply a slow-release fertilizer in spring, after the danger of frost is passed. You'll want to reapply fertilizer every three months until September.
Growing bougainvillea in pots keeps them small enough to make it feasible to cover them when freezing temperatures occur.