• Bougainvillea can survive frost.Bougainvillea image by rizafna from Fotolia.com
  
  This native South American plant thrives in a warm, sunny climate. Bougainvillea grows as a shrub, vine or small tree. Its flowers are surrounded by bracts, which vary in color from magenta to purple, red, white and orange. Summer heat produces the most blooms, but in mild-winter regions, flowers can appear in winter. Bougainvillea grows best in USDA plant hardiness zones 8 to 10, but it can handle frost, under certain conditions.
  
  

Prepare for Routine Frost

• Where weather regularly dips to 30 to 40 degrees Fahrenheit and frosts are routine, plant the bougainvillea in early spring after the danger of frost has passed. Place it in a warm, protected spot in the garden. This can be a south- or west-facing wall. When temperatures start to drop, cover it with 4-6 inches of mulch. It can be wrapped in a blanket or insulation. If the plant survives the first winter, it should be mature enough to take more cold weather and survive.
  
  

Dropping Its Leaves

• Within a day of a frost, the bougainvillea might react by dropping its leaves. It can recover as long as the root was not frozen. Initially, you won't be able to tell how a bougainvillea will react to frost. It's a time to wait and see. Wait until all danger of frost is past in early spring, then prune the bougainvillea, up to one-half of its size. If it is pruned too early, another frost will likely kill it. After the pruning, watch for any new growth.
  
  

Burned Leaves

• The appearance of burned and/or curled leaves is another one of the effects of frost on bougainvillea. If the frost has affected the plant this way, it will most likely recover. If another frost is eminent, cover the plant with a sheet or blanket until the danger passes. In early spring, cut it back, up to one-half of its size, and wait to see if new growth appears.
  
  

Frozen Root Ball

• If a deep freeze or prolonged cold affects the region and the bougainvillea root ball gets frozen, the plant will die from lack of moisture. Again, this is a wait-and-see proposition. If new growth doesn't return within four weeks of warm weather, the plant has died.