More than 25 years ago a friend in Boston brought me a present she had carried all the way back from a visit to El Paso, where she had grown up. It was a peach-colored discovered (for Europeans), in 1768.
[The image was captured last Wednesday afternoon, near the Central Garden of the Getty]
The Bougainvillea in my (new) front garden has just started to blossom, an encouraging sign of approaching Spring here in the southern hemisphere. I’ll try to remember to send a photo when we have real blooms.
There are dwarf Bougainvilleae these days, frost resistant and suitable for growing in tubs. If that’s not enough to have you scurrying to the nearest nursery, the dwarves don’t have thorns either.
Hey James!
The bougainvillea is a very popular plant in the Palestinian city of Jericho. My family is lucky to have it in our house garden there, in three colors, purple, rose, and honey yellow. It’s called “majnouneh”, which means “the crazy” (feminine adj). It really is so, as you hinted in saying it had a life of its own.
=)