July 1, 2007
Bougainvillea
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The day that I first arrived in Hawaii, I was greeted at the airport by my boss. He drove me to the “company house” where an office was maintained and personnel were housed while on rotation from the mainland. I was scheduled for a three-week temporary assignment, and was determined to soak up as much of the Hawaii experience as I could during my stay. My culture shock bagan at the airport, where the scented air and colorfully clad business travelers overwhelmed my senses. On our drive out to the country (near where I now live) I was amazed at the intensity of the color of flowers on shrubs lining the freeway. My mind momentarily percieved hot pink tissue decorating the dusty green bushes, unable to accept that flowers could bloom so brightly in such profusion. It was bougainvillea which gave me my introduction to the effects of a tropical climate on flowereing plants.
The boss spent much of his time landscaping his newly-acquired property whenever he was on-island. In his absence, groundskeeping was added to the duties of his employees. I had been asked to stay in Hawaii and take over our Pacific operations, so I was frequently chief gardener. I was at first charmed with the bougainvillea hedges he planted along both long sides of the lot. They were no more than two feet tall when he planted them, but within only a few months they were forming a dense hedge and topping four feet. At the end of six months they were towering over me.
I’m still amazed by the beauty of bouganvillea, but two years of tending them was enough for me. They’re very messy, with their blossoms turning into heaps of brown tissue-like debris that blows around and litters their own space as well as all of the neighbor’s yards, no matter how often you rake them up. It’s the thorns though, an inch or more in length and sharp as needles, that I find most off-putting. My arm are still covered with scars from my efforts to keep the wildly growing masses pruned. They’re at their lovliest when left to grow untended anyway, as these scenes along a country road attest.
Update: I have six little lettuce leaves poking through the soil in the planter I seeded last Sunday. I’m happy.
I didn’t visit any of you last week, and missed quite a few of you the week before. I’ll try to make up for lost time and catch up on all of your posts over the next few days.
[tags]bougainvillea, gardening, gardening in Hawaii, photos[/tags]
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July 1st, 2007 at 2:47 am, ruth Says:
Stunning photos; I have a very small bougainvillea in a pot but it never grows much; I need those Hawaiian temperatures! Happy GTS
July 1st, 2007 at 4:53 am, Laurie & Chris Says:
All of your photos of the Bougainvillea are beautiful. Glad to see your lettuce is sprouting.
July 1st, 2007 at 5:06 am, Katie Says:
Growing up in California we had a lovely hedge of these–of course I wasn’t the one clipping their thorny branches! I miss them so much in CT, wonder if I could get a small one to grow here?
July 1st, 2007 at 6:23 am, Beth Says:
The combination of red, pink, lavender and purple hues in the first photo is gorgeous!
July 1st, 2007 at 7:53 am, Jean Says:
The colors are wonderful! I guess it’s better to enjoy them in pictures!
July 1st, 2007 at 8:38 am, Mark Says:
Great shots of the bougainvillea, hope your lettuce gats going, do you have any problems with slugs there?
July 1st, 2007 at 10:19 am, Genie Says:
Wow — what gorgeous photos! I did not know about the thorns that came along with the beautiful flowers…that’s interesting. Thanks for the educational post!
July 1st, 2007 at 1:07 pm, kate Says:
You would laugh if you saw my carefully-tended bougainvillea which is about 2-feet tall. I suppose we desire things that we can’t have!!
July 1st, 2007 at 6:27 pm, GardenMomma Says:
Did you just have to pinch yourself at the luck of a 3 week assignment turning into full time employment…in HAWAII???? What a wonderful place for the ‘job’ of chief gardener! Sign me up. Bougainvilla are so pretty, but I didn’t know about thorns. We have an abundance of crape myrtles here with their little flowers littering everywhere. My front walk is literally covered with little white flowers. Have a wonderful week!
July 2nd, 2007 at 10:33 am, Kate Says:
What gorgeous bouganvilla! Here in Kansas it dies down every winter and has to be protected. It just doesn’t grow large and lush like that. Wish it did, though!
July 3rd, 2007 at 4:51 pm, Gally Says:
I loved going from drought-ridden Colorado to luscious Hawaii when I visited. It’s wonderful to see such growth, but sort of sad when you come back to brown grass.
July 4th, 2007 at 7:41 am, Beckey Says:
I Have a huge Purple Bougie in my backyard. Har to stay on top of the pruning it grows like wildfire!. My Passionvine has found a home on it and now the 2 flowers show on the one tree they’re gorgeous!
Peace Beckey
July 5th, 2007 at 9:53 am, Martin Says:
She wears bougainvillea blossoms.
You pluck ‘em from her hair and toss ‘em in the tide,
Sweep her in your arms and carry her inside.
Her sighs catch on your shoulder;
Her moonlit eyes grow bold and wiser through her tears
And I say, “How could you stand to leave her for a year?”
This is an excerpt from Lock Keeper by Stan Rogers, one of my favorite songs.