All the wonders of the bougainvillea

THE GARDEN FANATIC

“Earth is a task garden; heaven is a playground.”

-- G. K. Chesterton

“When man was put in the Garden of Eden he was put there so that

he should work, which proves that man was not born to rest.”

-- Voltaire

“You won’t go to heaven, if you don’t cleanup up the bougainvillea

flowers first.” I must have heard those words at least a thousand

times, while I was growing up in Laguna. However, I wasn’t old enough

yet, to realize that it wasn’t my grandmother’s gentle Buddhist

belief of heaven she was quoting, Oba-chan was merely repeating the

edicts of the fundamentalist minister who was our neighbor at the

time.

No plant is more characteristic of Laguna than the ubiquitous

bougainvillea.

Its spectacular colors last most of the year. Depending on how you

prune the vigorous vine, bank cover, hanging basket, shrub or tree

will delight you with its extravagant color display. It is one plant

that will thrive on general neglect, once it is established.

The bougainvillea is native to Brazil and named for Louis Antoine

de Bougainville, a French navigator. The flowers are small and hardly

visible -- the color comes from the large, showy bracts.

Colors range from purplish to crimson in the cultivars Barbara

Karst and San Diego Red, to deep bronze and gold and salmon in the

cultivars Afterglow, Orange King, and California Gold (Catharine’s

favorite). Planting cultivars of different colors together can

produce exciting combinations.

Bougainvilleas are ideally suited to Laguna’s mild coastal

climate. They grow and bloom best in full sun and in soil that is

well drained. Windy locations should be avoided if possible. Minimum

water after the plant is established produces maximum flowering and

minimum leaf growth.

Applications of a general-purpose fertilizer should be applied

from late spring through summer.

Most plants are rampant growers and require plenty of space and/or

frequent pruning. A few cultivars such as Temple Fire and Raspberry

Ice are compact and make excellent ground covers or can be planted to

cascade over garden walls.

Bougainvillea may be grown overhead on trellises, on roofs, or on

walls.

They may also be trained to form hedges or clipped for formality.

Many gardeners have used them extensively as potted plants, and they

are even trained to make small street trees in South America.

Transplanting bougainvillea must be undertaken with the utmost

care. Root balls are easily broken, because the plant doesn’t form a

firm root ball in a container. Rough handling often results in

fatally damaging the extremely sensitive roots. Prior to setting the

container in a hole, cut out the bottom. Then slice the container

from top to bottom and remove the sides. I swear, I missed out on

more beach days, baseball at Bluebird Park, and midday movies,

because of my failure to finish sweeping up the bougainvillea bracts

to my grandmother’s satisfaction. But even though I approached my

task, as described by our neighborly minister, “in a rather earthly

manner,” I knew that at dinner, my work would be rewarded by my

grandmother’s heavenly Japanese cooking. See you next time.

* STEVE KAWARATANI is the owner of Landscapes by Laguna Nursery,

1278 Glenneyre St. He is married to local artist, Catharine Cooper,

and has two cats. He can be reached at (949) 497-2438 or e-mail to

[email protected].