This vigorous twinning climber has slender woody greyish stems with down turning thorns and requires support. The tube-shaped white flowers are accompanied by rich purple bracts and appear in clusters throughout summer.

Hardiness zones 10 to 12

Bougainvillea spectabilis is naturally found in South America growing into trees along forest margins. It prefers a well drained humus rich moist loamy soil and grows in an open sunny position. It is frost tender but drought resistant.

Bougainvillea is a vigorous and long lived climber that is grown for summer colour. It is trained over structures (pergolas) for shade or used as a spill-over on embankments. It can be grown on fences and used for screening or planted in pots and tubs. In warmer climates this plant can climb into trees suffocating them and is difficult to remove. ID 53

Bougainvillea (boo-gan-VIL-lee-uh) spectabilis(speck-TAB-ih-liss)

"Bouganvillea": after 18th century circumnavigator Louis Antoine de Bouganville.

Nyctaginaceae (nyk-taj-i-NAY-see-ee)
Bougainvilleas, Four-o`clocks