Thursday, August 20, 2015

MY FAVOURITE GARDEN FLOWERS (2)

I am trying valiantly to keep this theme going so my next favourite garden flower I have chosen the Bougainvillea spp.   We have 4 plants of different colours in our garden but for some reason this year the 'miniature' ones have gone feral on us and spread all over a part of the back garden.  Lots of pruning now needed which will not be very pleasant with all those nasty spikes.

Of late I've noticed that many people are planting them on their back fences where they back on to main roads.  I guess they think the spikes will deter any would-be burglars who may be in the area.


I love the vibrant colours of the bougainvilleas.   We have an orange, a deep red, a bright mauve and a terracotta colour.  All different but all very lovely. 


I remember on our trip to Carnarvon years ago marvelling at the beauty of the bougainvilleas.  Of course they grow quite rampamt up north as they truly love the hot weather.


The first European to describe these plants was Philbert Commercon, a botanist accompanying French Navy admiral and explorer Louis Antoine de Bougainville during his voyage of circumnaviation of the earth, and first published for him by Antoine Laurent de Jussieu in 1789.  It is possible that the first European to observe these plants was Jeanne Bare, Commercon's lover and assistant who was an expert in botany; because she was not allowed on the ship as a woman, she disguised herself as a man in order to make the journey (and thus became the first woman to circumnavigate the globe).


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11 comments:

  1. DeniseinVAAugust 20, 2015 at 7:51 AM

    Lovely flowers and a beautiful tree Mimsie.

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    1. MimsieAugust 22, 2015 at 2:00 PM

      Thank you Denise and it is not very often that one sees a bouganvillea standing on its own like this.

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  2. MerlesworldAugust 20, 2015 at 8:34 AM

    I too have bougainvilles they are wonderful flowers and some of the spikes are very long.
    We planted them when we had dogs and so did next door, the dogs spent all day run up and down the fence barking it solved the problem.
    Merle...........

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    1. MimsieAugust 22, 2015 at 2:01 PM

      I feel bouganvillea can be the solution to many problems.
      I believe there are new spikeless varieties but I am yet to find them hold true to form.

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  3. Elephant's ChildAugust 20, 2015 at 1:30 PM

    Beautiful things. Which I cannot grow here. So I marvel at other people's.

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    1. MimsieAugust 22, 2015 at 2:02 PM

      Is it too cold in Canberra? We see lots of them in Perth and some of the colours are glorious.

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    2. Elephant's ChildAugust 22, 2015 at 2:20 PM

      They don't like frost and we get some hard ones.

      Delete
  4. RiverAugust 20, 2015 at 2:49 PM

    I love bouganvillea, but prefer the newer thornless varieties.

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    1. MimsieAugust 22, 2015 at 2:03 PM

      One of our so-called minaitures supposedly was thornless but is does have huge thorns and is certainly not a miniature as it has spread right across part of the back garden. Now lots of work necessary to prune it back to size. Need to keep an eye on it next year.

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  5. Yamini MacLeanAugust 20, 2015 at 5:09 PM

    Hari OM
    I had a glorious magenta variety in my garden in Asquith... it would certainly deter anyone with ideas of wall clambering!!! YAM xx

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    1. MimsieAugust 22, 2015 at 2:04 PM

      I feel you have happy memories of that one Yam. They certainly are a great deterrent for would be burglars etc. xx

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