Saturday, September 25, 2010

Waiting for the Colors

I try to plant a lot of plants that turn colors in the fall in my gardens. I like the signal from nature that it is time to slow down and get ready for the winter months. Our warm temperatures that are typical for this time of year have yet to produce too many turning leaves, but bougainvillea is putting on a colorful display throughout Southern California this month. This can be a too common plant in some people's opinion because it is so content that it grows to an enormous size and is almost impossible to get rid if you try . It also has some nasty thorns! Oddly enough it can be difficult to get started due to it's overly sensitive root system that is quite delicate and falls apart when transplanting. It is not uncommon to have a young bougainvillea sulk for a couple years before taking off and becoming a beautiful specimen, which is one of the few extremely colorful, yet very drought tolerant plants available. I want more!

3 comments:

Shyrlene said...

Sheila - I envy your Bougainvillea and always look for it when I visit warmer climates. It reminds me that we most want what is not available! I'll live vicariously through your photos! Thanks for sharing....

Noelle Johnson said...

Hello Sheila,

I love bougainvillea and have two in my garden. It has always fascinated me that it can be hard to get started because it is certainly hard to get rid of....but who would want to?

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