The bougainvillea is a beautiful flowering plant that has long been reported to me as an extremely hardy plant — able to survive anything. Okay, not true! They require some love and attention which I found out after almost killing mine within a week! My mentor at the local gardening store told me this was a record. (He has since gone back to school for social work where I know he will thrive as he was so patient with me. I’m sure my endless need for gardening 101 hand holding didn’t play a role in his decision, right?)

It seems I was killing Violet (what I named my bougainvillea) with too much water. I was watering her three times a week which is (as it turns out) three times too many. The bougainvillea only needs to be watered every other week in normal temperatures while (perhaps) once a week if temperatures are consistently over 100 degrees farenheit.

After trimming Violet back to the nubs, she has come back strong. It is such fun watching the beauty which is nature. I hope we make it through winter!

In honor of the beauty that is the bougainvillea, here are some interesting tidbits about them…

• The bougainvillea is the national flower of Guam.
• The bougainvillea’s flower is actually the small (almost unnoticeable) flower inside the brightly colored, paper-thin bracts.
• The sap of the bougainvillea can cause serious skin rashes.

Get outside and enjoy your neighborhood bougainvillea, just be careful how much you water it!