I've been away from my childhood home for almost nine years. I remember seeing bougainvilleas of different colors like fuschia, white, pink, and yellow. They were at home, in our neighborhood, in school, at my grandparents' house and at the sisters' convent, and I guess every single neighborhood.
As my family and I stroll along the bike path of Ventura State Beach in California, I stop in awe of bougainvillea on the ground, like ground cover. I don't remember seeing them on the ground back home. Or maybe I've been gone too long.
Bougainvillea is a flowering shrub discovered by Admiral Louis de Bougainvillea, when he started a voyage in the Pacific Ocean in 1768. It was discovered in Brazil. A rapid grower, the bougainvillea has thorny woody vines which are ideal for a hedge. It serves as a good screen for privacy. Its flowery and cascading blooms look wonderful especially when the wind blows.
The bougainvillea thrives in warm climates. Where I live, I can only have a bonsai bouganvillea. I yet have to find people who have this indoors and ask them how their bonsai is doing. Perhaps someday, the bougainvillea can live in my new home.
