Hello,

I am new to tropical gardening and have two rather large, and I think old, bougainvillas. When we bought our house in Key Largo last year both bloomed all summer, but have not been blooming this summer. Now, the one looks very "sick" at the top (leaves looked chewed on and are curling), and the second is very tall - 7 or 8 feet. Last year it grew this tall and then fell over. How, and when, do I prune these plants without killing them? Both have well established "trunks" at the bottom. I would say the trunks are probably two inches in diameter. Many of the branches going up are an inch in diameter, and both plants have many small, spindly brances coming off the main branches. Both plants were planted about a foot from a wooden fence and both received 5 - 6 hours of sunlight a day. Can you recommend a book I can buy that will illustrate the proper way I should prune these beautiful plants. Can you recommend a book on taking care of Bougainvillas? Thank you very much for your help.