In Bloom: Bougainvillea

The purple bougainvillea near the Flight Encounter is putting on a spectacular show right now. The colors seem especially splashy against the dark green of the coontie and other shrubbery nearby.

While not native to our state, bougainvillea is often considered a staple of Florida landscaping. The genus Bougainvillea is generally said to contain four distinct species, with much hybridization and crossing between the species, both in the wild and in commercial cultivation. All are native to South America, many to the equatorial regions, and are members of the same family as fast-growing Four O'Clocks (Nyctaginaceae). They were discovered in the late 1700s by Philibert Commerçon, a French botanist, and named for French Navy admiral and explorer Louis Antoine de Bougainville, who led the voyage during which they were discovered.

Bougainvillea is beloved by gardeners for its ability to take just about any shape desired in the landscape. By nature a hearty climber and sprawler, bougainvillea can be trimmed into topiary and bonsai shapes, trained over trellises, tree-formed, or just left on its own to form dense shrubbery. Gardeners who deal with it know to be cautious, though, since this fast-growing plant is armed with nasty thorns. In some areas, bougainvillea is used for security as much as decoration along borders and property lines.

Bougainvillea's colored "flowers" are actually not flowers at all; instead, they are special modified leaves known as "bracts". These bracts come in yellow, pink, purple, red, and every shade in between, and surround the actual bloom of the plant, which is small and cream-colored. The bright coloration of the bract leaves draw pollinators like bees and butterflies to the plant, where they drink nectar from the flowers and transfer pollen along the way.

Bougainvillea is native to areas of the world where days and nights are more or less of equal length. Because of this, they flower best in the fall and spring months in areas like Florida, and are not at their best during our months of summer heat, humidity, and long days. They also flower prolifically after drier periods during which they receive plenty of sunlight (for best flower development), which may explain why ours is thriving so beautifully right now. Gardeners can also encourage better blooms by trimming the long branches, and by keeping container specimens somewhat rootbound - this is a plant that thrives on stressful conditions.

For much more information on growing bougainvillea successfully, check out this article: Bougainvillea 101.