Actual size and flowering may vary slightly based on season.
Raspberry Ice Bougainvillea Staked
Raspberry Ice Bougainvillea Staked is the cream-edged, raspberry-pink variety trained up a stake, ready to tie to a trellis, fence or post. The green and cream leaves give a wall color even between flushes of bloom. It takes full sun and reflected heat, and it needs little water once rooted. Keep tying the new canes in as it grows.
Best for: a trellis or fence panel in full sun, an arbor or patio post, and a large pot with a trellis. It is a staked bougainvillea for walls that get reflected heat.
Set it at the base of a trellis, fence or set of wall wires in full sun. Bougainvillea has nothing to grip with, so tie each new cane to the support. Along a longer run, plant about 6 to 8 feet apart.
A staked plant is already growing upright, so it suits an arbor leg or a patio post in full sun. Wrap the canes around the post and fasten them with strong ties as they lengthen. Left untied, this variety sprawls back into a low mound.
A big pot with a short trellis keeps it smaller and holds the fallen bracts in one place. Use drainage holes and a fast-draining mix, and water when the top 2 to 3 inches are dry. A pot is also easy to cover on a frost night.
A frost around 28 to 32°F can burn the canes and strip the leaves, although it usually regrows from the roots. The canes are thorny, and fallen bracts blow around. Plant it away from pools, paths and play areas.
- Along a wall or fence6-8 ft apart
- Quicker cover6 ft apart
Bougainvillea does not cling, so fasten new canes to the trellis, wires or post with strong ties as they grow. Do the main pruning in spring after frost danger has passed, and trim lightly after each bloom flush. Wear gloves and long sleeves around the thorns.
Through the first summer it needs regular deep water, tapering to about once a week as it roots in. After that, plan on a deep soak about every 7 to 10 days in summer and about once a month in winter. Keep it on the dry side between soaks, since extra water pushes leaves and not bracts.
Frost around 28 to 32°F damages the stems, and after a freeze the plant drops its leaves and rests. Use frost cloth, not plastic, when frost is forecast. Wait for new growth in spring before you prune, then cut to just above it.
A single light feeding in spring is enough for a plant in the ground, and none is needed in winter. Heavy feeding pushes leafy growth and cuts the color.
Chewed, ragged leaves with tiny black droppings point to the bougainvillea looper, a small inchworm that feeds at night. Established plants outgrow the damage without help. Treat young plants or bad damage with a BT caterpillar spray.
Drainage test first. Dig the hole and fill it with water. If water is still sitting in the hole a day later, you likely hit caliche, clay or hard soil, so fix the drainage before planting. If it drains very fast, the soil is sandy. Standing water around roots is a common reason new plants fail.
Weed cloth. Cut it away from the planting hole and where the roots will spread. Remove any plastic sheeting completely, since it keeps water and air out of the soil.
Rock or decomposed granite with no soil underneath. Bring in soil close in texture to your native soil, mix it with the soil below, and build up enough depth for roots before planting.
If you can break through. Use a breaker bar, pick, or jackhammer. Dig through the caliche and break out the solid chunks. Backfill with the soil you dug out, with no compost or manure in the hole. Confirm drainage before planting.
If you cannot break through. Dig narrow holes through the hard layer beside the root ball, not under it, and refill them with the same soil, not gravel. If it still will not drain, plant on a low mound of the same soil.
Root ball. Check the outside edges for any roots circling around. Loosen or cut those so they grow outward. Do not break up the center of the root ball.
Depth. The top of the root ball should sit at or just slightly above the surrounding soil level. Planting too deep can lead to rot and kill the plant.
Drip emitters. At planting, put the emitters on the root ball, on different sides of the plant. After about 2 months, move them to the outer edge of the root ball. Over the first year, add emitters farther out toward the edge of the branches as roots grow. Once a plant is rooted, never water only at the trunk.
What does staked mean?
It means the plant has been trained up a single stake instead of being left as a low bush. It is the same Raspberry Ice variety. Plant it at a trellis, fence or post and keep tying the new growth up.
Will it climb on its own?
No. Bougainvillea does not cling or twine. Tie the canes to the trellis, wires or post with strong ties, and keep it on its stake while it is young.
How tall does Raspberry Ice get on a support?
Left alone, Raspberry Ice mounds only about 2 to 3 feet tall and 5 to 6 feet wide. Tied to a support, its canes can be trained well above that. Trim it to fit your trellis or post.
What color is Raspberry Ice?
It has raspberry-pink bracts and green leaves with cream to white edges. The leaves keep their two-tone color between flushes of bloom.
How far apart should I plant them on a fence?
Space them about 6 to 8 feet apart, center to center, or about 6 feet apart for quicker cover. The Spacing tab counts the plants for your fence length.
Can I shape it into a small tree?
Yes, staked bougainvillea can be pruned up into a small tree shape. Keep it tied to the stake while it is young, because it needs the support early on.
How often should I water it?
Give it regular deep water through its first summer. Once it is rooted, soak it about every 7 to 10 days in summer and about once a month in winter. Too much water gives you leaves instead of bracts.
How much cold can it take?
It is one of the hardier bougainvilleas, but frost around 28 to 32°F can still burn the canes. Cover it with frost cloth on cold nights. It usually regrows quickly from the roots in spring.
When should I cut off frost damage?
Wait until frost danger has passed, usually by March in Phoenix, or until you see new growth. Then cut back to just above the new growth.
Does it attract hummingbirds?
Yes. Hummingbirds, butterflies and bees visit bougainvillea flowers.
Does it have thorns?
Yes, the canes carry sharp thorns. Wear gloves and long sleeves when you tie or prune it, and plant it back from walkways and play areas.
Is it okay near a pool or around pets?
Keep it back from the pool, since the bracts drop and blow around. It is not known to be poisonous to pets, but the thorns can hurt them, so keep it off dog runs.
Raspberry Ice Bougainvillea Staked for sale in Arizona, delivered to you
Raspberry Ice Bougainvillea Staked is the two-tone Raspberry Ice trained upright on a stake for trellises, fences and posts. It carries raspberry-pink bracts over green and cream leaves. Below you will find how to tie and train it, spacing along a wall, watering, frost care and pruning.
Sourced from trusted Arizona growers and delivered directly to your door, job site, or property. We deliver across the Valley and to nearby towns, and quote delivery anywhere else in Arizona.
How do you train a staked bougainvillea up a trellis?
Plant it at the foot of the support and tie the canes in with strong ties. Bougainvillea does not attach on its own. Keep tying new growth where you want color, and trim what heads the wrong way.
Bush vs staked Raspberry Ice bougainvillea
Both are the same variety. The bush is left to mound low for beds, slopes and pots. The staked plant is trained upright on a stake, for a trellis, fence or post.
A bougainvillea with green and cream leaves for a wall
Raspberry Ice has green leaves edged in cream to white, with raspberry-pink bracts. On a trellis the leaves give contrast between flushes of bloom. It needs full sun for the best color.
How far apart do you plant bougainvillea on a fence in Arizona?
Plant about 6 to 8 feet apart, center to center, along a fence or wall. Go closer to 6 feet for quicker cover. The Spacing tab on this page counts plants for your length.
Does Raspberry Ice bougainvillea survive a Phoenix frost?
It is one of the hardier bougainvilleas. Frost around 28 to 32°F still burns the canes, and in Phoenix an unprotected plant can lose much of its top. It regrows quickly from the roots.
How much water does a staked bougainvillea need?
Water regularly through the first summer. After that, soak it about every 7 to 10 days in summer and about once a month in winter. Dry soil between soaks brings on the color.
Can a staked bougainvillea become a small tree?
Yes. A staked bougainvillea can be pruned up into a small tree shape. It needs the stake while it is young, and older plants can stand on their own.
We deliver across the Valley, from Phoenix, Scottsdale and Mesa out to San Tan Valley, Maricopa and Casa Grande, and up to Prescott, Sedona, Payson and Globe. See delivery areas and rates.