Pink Bougainvillea on Texas Prairie

by Connie Fox

Title

Pink Bougainvillea on Texas Prairie

Artist

Connie Fox

Medium

Photograph - Outdoor Color Photo

Description

Bougainvillea is a tropical woody flowering vine—a climber and trellis-lover—that thrives on neglect. Gardeners accustomed to a certain regimen of feeding and regular watering that works for other flowering plants might be surprised to learn that with too much water, fertilizer, or even organic soil, bougainvillea refuse to bloom. Unlike people, they prefer neglect, poor soil, and little water.

In many areas of Texas, the soil is mostly clay. But clay holds too much water for a bougainvillea, so I got some junky soil from a builder and mixed it with sand. Ordinarily I would choose a nice rich organic planting mix, but not in this case. Then I planted both bougainvillea where they wouldn’t get much water, other than rain. They like to be hot and dry. If they’re dried-out looking late in the day, I don’t worry. But if they’re looking wilted in the morning, that’s how I know they need some water—but not too much. I’m getting the hang of this!

This uncropped closeup nature photograph, captured outdoors with available light, shows a pink bougainvillea filled with blossoms. The petals are called bracts. No flowers can be seen in this image, but I plan to post some companion images that will show the flowers, which are tiny and white. This image shows bracts with all sorts of variations in coloring, from splotchy to pale and medium pinks. Toward the center of the frame is a bract that is stronger in color--almost magenta. The background here is blurred greenery and stone, widely used in the Texas Hill Country.

NOTE: For pink products, this image would be an ideal choice.

FEATURED on the homepages of Flora, USA Photographers, Image That Excite You, Hawaiian Photography, and Art District, June 2019. Featured by Showcasing the South, August 2019; Just Perfect, The Meandering Photographer, and Off the Beaten Path, February 2023.

Pink Bougainvillea on Texas Prairie
Fine-art botanical photography by Connie Fox

Uploaded

June 9th, 2019

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