Deflowering is a pruning process whereby flowers are removed. Removing flowers in bougainvillea is all about its health. Leaving flowers on such bonsai trees take their toll. A tree puts too much energy to produce its flowers and this comes at the expense to the rest of the tree. Physiologically, flowers are more about the survival of the species (and of course our enjoyment too!), while healthy leaves and roots are more about the strength and survival of the individual tree. We advice deflowering especially on young trees that are still in training. Of course on more mature trees, deflower any spent flowers to stimulate the formation of more new flowers.