The mighty bougainvillea

In the fall, when I lived in NYC, I would plant various bulbs (before the first freeze) and in the spring I was always pleased to see the first vestiges of a variety of flowering plants including crocus, hyacinths, daffodils and tulips.  The chill was still in the air, the life-span of these plants was very short and it wasn’t until a lot later that I was blessed with the blossoms of a spectacular weeping cherry tree.

In Florida I am greeted with something similar to this photo on almost every street corner.  Talk about a true harbinger of spring!  It’s the mighty bougainvillea and it is practically a weed it grows so well in what is, for all intents and purposes, the tropics.  Although beautiful when in bloom it is a major problem to control.  The thorns this beauty sports is legion!  Gardeners here look like they own a herd of hostile cats after cutting back their bougainvillea.  They are a special treat to the eye…just don’t get too close; they don’t like to be petted.