I'm the proud owner of this big, PINK, Bougainvillea × buttiana 'Barbara Karst' — a gift from my very generous friend the Outlaw Gardener, Peter Herpst.
He'd called me one Sunday morning, having spotted the much sought after orangey/pink Bougainvillea at a nursery in Bellevue, Wa. It was a little expensive for my budget so I passed. Somewhere along the line in our conversation I mentioned I'd be happy with the straight pink version and then whadda ya know? He showed up with one.
Most of you know I'm not a fan of pink, but I love all Bougainvillea, and since I've made my peace with pink flowers in the front garden I figured I could plant it in the big concrete, pebble covered, planter I got from a neighbor...
After all I needed a little color splash in front of the house.
LOVE THIS SO MUCH!!! I also added a trio of Mangave 'Inkblot' — they've colored up so well since I first wrote about them...
And they've grown too. Amazing to think what they'll look like in a month or two...
But back to that Bougainvillea, since it's the star of this show...
It's using the Callistemon ‘Woodlander's Hardy Red’ for support. The mixing of their blooms would be interesting but sadly I don't think this particular "bottle brush" will be blooming this year. Winter did it no favors.
What do you think? Is the jolt of color a good thing? Or out of place? I suppose I should also mention there are pink-blooming Echium russicum, a Loropetalum chinense var. rubrum 'Hindwarf' and assorted pink Lewisia just out of frame, so it's not completely crazy. Oh and that hanging Opuntia will be blooming pink soon too.
When Andrew noticed I was going to plant this screaming pink plant in the front garden he asked why? "It's such an old lady plant...why would you want that in the front garden?"...ha! You're married to an old lady buddy...and I'll plant my loud pink plants where ever I think they look good...
Just for the sake of remaining true to Cathy's Monday Vase meme here is my only real vase offering. My inherited pink Peony started to open it's three flowers and quickly I chopped them to enjoy inside. Speaking of old lady flowers Andrew is quite enamored with them, stopping to bury his nose every time he walks by...
Weather Diary, May 28: Hi 85, Low 55/ Precip 0"
All material © 2009-2017 by Loree Bohl for danger garden. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited and just plain rude.
I might be wrong but I thought that Barbara Karst's flowers faded to orange when they were old. Hooray for Peter for bringing you such a big, gorgeous plant! I'm going to try it again, but maybe not this year. I have too much other stuff going on. Are you going to try to over-winter it inside?
ReplyDeleteI haven't seen any evidence of fading to orange, and there are definitely older flowers on the plant. We'll see how I'm feeling about space (and how the plant is looking) come fall...
DeleteTell Andrew that Bougainvillea is a warrior (think of it as the Wonder Woman of plants), not an "old lady." She's tough, rather thorny, and great at keeping bad guys at a distance. We have one planted outside our bedroom window to deter anyone from trying to enter the house that way and it's frequently used here along fences for its value as an effective barrier. Enjoy your new plant - may she live long and prosper.
ReplyDeleteThanks Kris! She does have rather short thorns, I'm hoping she doesn't reach out and attack the mailman who passes right buy her. Poor guy has an Agave to contend with on the other side.
DeleteThey love heat, and warm soil, and only flower on new growth, so clip off the old ones. No fertilizer needed in the ground, but potted, it might.
ReplyDeleteUgh, I'm not good about fertilizing.
DeleteIt looks marvelous with all of the chartreuse but then I'm a fan of lots of color. Glad you're enjoying the plant which is NOT an old lady thing. It's a trendy, envelope pushing specimen in our zone. Those thorns are rather dangerous...
ReplyDeleteIt was such an odd thing for him to say... especially because I know he really likes the the plant. Maybe he was responding more to it's pinkness and thinking such a bright "party plant" needed to be in the back garden?
DeleteThat pink looks so welcoming near your front door. I don't see these colors as old lady colors. I don't know many old ladies that would paint their front door limey green and have fuchsia pink bougainvillea nearby. No siree. This looks modern and marvelous.
ReplyDeleteYou made me laugh Lisa! Modern and marvelous, I'm sticking with that.
DeleteI think it brings a bright splash of colour and looks great in the pebbled planter. The peonies are very pretty too, wonderful colour.
ReplyDeleteThanks Alison!
DeleteI think a jolt of color is always a good addition. But it is not what I would call an "old lady" plant. Now I am trying to decide what an old lady plant would be in my area.
ReplyDeleteIt's a hard description to define...since styles are always circling back around as to what's popular.
DeleteI think the new Bougainvillea looks great in your front yard - a perfect focal point. I wish I could grow one, but my climate won't allow it, so I can admire others'.
ReplyDeleteMy climate won't allow it to live over winter. I'll have to either let it expire, or pull it and bring it indoors...
DeleteOh it's lovely, and perfectly at home with the agave/manzanita/callistemon aesthetic you have going on. Bougainvillea is the plant I miss most from my time in Southern California. The fragrance on a warm night is glorious.
ReplyDeleteThank you! Fragrance? I didn't know they have fragrance. I have noticed a lovely smell that I couldn't identify. Gotta check that out...
DeleteI think the splash of colour looks great - strange to think that some (well, one!)people think of it as an 'old lady' sort of plant!
ReplyDeleteLeave it to my husband...
Delete"Old Lady Plant" is a bad thing? Not so, says this old lady.
ReplyDeleteThose Mangave look great. Nice combo with the Boug and cool container.
ReplyDelete