My favorite Bouganvilla is blooming right now...and it is glorious in it's myriad of colors....light pink, light orange, orange, pink, shocking pink, deep deep orange....I first became aware of Bouganvilla in a "real" way, when I was in Hawaii in 1974....I had rented a house there on the Big Island in the Kona area...it was right on the water, though there was no beach as such....just a little tiny place where you could get into the water which was filled with these sharp lava-like rocks so you had to wear flip-flops, or something on your feet.....
The road leading to the main road, and the main road itself was filled with Bouganvilla trees...Yes, trees....and they were all different lush gorgeous colors that just took your beath away....I knew then that I would want to live with some kind of Bouganvilla...and if I could, many kinds.....It took another 12 years before that happened....and that was okay.
Because when the time was right, it happened.....So, there are a lot of different colors down below at the bottom of my property where the fence is....I love that! Beautiful pinks, reds, whites, and whatever this one is....it's down below, too. But this particular plant is on my front Patio....I wanted a rush of color to surround these beautiful green plants...the greens are in all different shades so I wanted this favorite Bouganvilla to sit amongst the cactus and succulents cause I knew they would compliment each other...I just knew it!
And they do indeed compliment each other in the best most wonderful way possible. When I look at this picture above, I am struck by the relationship these colors have to my paintings. The shadings...the going from one color to another....Nature Is Magnificent....
There, in the picture above, is a little bit of that shocking pink, along with the oranges, too....the leaves of the Bouganvilla are a great compliment to the flowers, as well.....
That fuzzy pointy thing that you see in the picture above, is on it's way to being a fabulous huge, 'Night Blooming Cereus' flower...a one-night-of- the-year, only...flower...right now it is still in the early stages...there are lots of these fuzzy's in one stage or another, right now.....Look at the deep oranges in the picture below...and, another fuzzy is poking it's little head up behind the flowers....
And there it all is....the pinks and the oranges....I love this plant.....!
More light pinks and light oranges surrounding the Senecio.....I love the Senecio, too....They seem so happy rogether, don't they?
I am absolutely in-love with these leaves...The fantastic veining that you see....they look like they are ancient in a way, but so fresh and young and youthful, all at the same time....And I love that little tiny yellow flower next to that lovely red thingy....gorgeous....just gorgeous!
So there it all is....all the colors, all the soft lushness of the leaves....their youth and their age....If you click on each of these pictures you will see this plant even better....I am in awe of all that nature creates...and I am grateful that I can take such pleasure in really looking carefully at what is right there before my eyes, if I just take the time....Hope you Enjoy, too!
More To Come.....
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had this to say:
What a wonderful post! Such beauty. I love bouganvilla and yours are sheer pleasure to look at. I am glad Michele sent me again so that I got to comment here first!
PS: Can I link your blog to mine?- Saturday, July 7, 2007 at 2:43:00 AM PDT
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Gorgeous as always ... unfortunately since Wimbledon began it has done nothing but rain here in the UK so I have no beautiful flowers in the garden. But we do have VERY long grass ;o)
- Saturday, July 7, 2007 at 3:34:00 AM PDT
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That is a gorgeous flower. We used to have thme when I was a kid in Florida.
- Saturday, July 7, 2007 at 4:10:00 AM PDT
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Your bouganvilla are beautifully juicy with color! I love them. I just an a little "askeered" of their stickers. Been scratched by them when a child. Unfortunately, here in the winter they become sticks, but maybe there in CA they stay beautiful year round. I would LOVE to see some of your paintings that you refer to. And that antique stove.........to die for!
- Saturday, July 7, 2007 at 5:05:00 AM PDT
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Hi Naomi! These are so unusual; I have never seen bouganvilla in these delightful peachy, apricot shades before. Usually it is a glaring purplish red. And when you click they look paper thin- so delicate. They must give you so much pleasure.
I have just watched Venus Williams win the Wimbledon Champions so congrats!- Saturday, July 7, 2007 at 8:12:00 AM PDT
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I agree, this is a wonderful post!
There is indeed a reason that bougainvillea has a place as one of the most popular and spectacular tropical plants. How lucky that you get to enjoy them in your own backyard. How lucky that we get to view your glorious pictures of them.
Thank you. Hugs...- Saturday, July 7, 2007 at 8:42:00 AM PDT
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It has such a special color! ours are rather purple or pink, beautiful flowers! I finally took a picture yesterday of a long friendship: the neighbors have a bougainvillea growing very, very tall thanks to her friend a tall pine tree, you can see this bougainvillea from the distance which couldnt' be the case if it was growing on its own.
Enjoy the beautiful flowers!- Saturday, July 7, 2007 at 8:46:00 AM PDT
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Hiya..I am sorry I missed your comments at my blog 'Crossing path' appreciate your visit and do come by to soshiok-.blogspot.com :D
Thank you for sharing all these lovely bouganvilla it has brought a smile on my face :D- Saturday, July 7, 2007 at 8:47:00 AM PDT
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had this to say:
The colors are so vibrant and just gorgeous.
We also have Bouganvillea in Florida, but I've never seen leaves that color. There must be different kinds. I like yours much better!- Saturday, July 7, 2007 at 10:08:00 AM PDT
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had this to say:
the flower pics are beuatiful - I've never seen that shade of bougainvillea look so good. I have seen some in Spain and they just looked orange!
Michele sent me but I've visited before and not commented so here I am!- Saturday, July 7, 2007 at 10:10:00 AM PDT
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Right at the edge of the porch in front of the house we lived in growing up - my Mom had bouganvilla growing - a lush red color. She loved it and it nearly covered half the front porch on that side so it acted as privacy too. Since I still live in the same town I go by our old house now and then - which I did recently - and that bouganvilla is still thriving. (it's probably over 40 years old)I'd like to plant one here as sort of a memory plant at some point. Yours are so beautiful, the colors gorgeous! You obviously love to garden.
NOW - I would sure love to see your paintings you refer to! I hope you will show them sometime.
Is it still hot down there?- Saturday, July 7, 2007 at 10:15:00 AM PDT
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Hi Naomi. I love how the light plays differently on the surface of the leaves in each image. Some are backlit, others are painted from the front...in all cases, the texture revealed by the light is so rich that I could almost touch it on my screen.
You have an artistic gift that never ceases to amaze me. I could look at these all day.- Saturday, July 7, 2007 at 10:15:00 AM PDT
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had this to say:
sorry - I really am LOL - I put my email address instead of my webpage ... no wonder it didn't work!
Not having a very good day on the keyboard - typos everywhere and I'm usually so perfect - being a Virgo!- Saturday, July 7, 2007 at 10:34:00 AM PDT
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had this to say:
I'm definitely a bougainvillea fan, but that color is just wonderful! So pretty and unique :)
- Saturday, July 7, 2007 at 11:04:00 AM PDT
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Gorgeous! Nature does provide us with the most beautiful things to feast on. We used to have bouganvillas in Florida and when we lived in Puerto Rico.
- Saturday, July 7, 2007 at 11:23:00 AM PDT
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You take beautiful pictures! Amazing what grows in those hills. :)
- Saturday, July 7, 2007 at 12:34:00 PM PDT
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had this to say:
Wonderful Naomi! You know I always loves to visit your garden and this Bouganvilla was just breath taking!
I remember I saw this plant covering a whole wall in a restaurant in Spain (Marbella) and it was so romantic sitting there for dinner (so thanks for taking me down the memory lane!).
Btw: I can tall you've manage to get your pics big and clear for clicking now - I'm glad!- Saturday, July 7, 2007 at 3:08:00 PM PDT
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had this to say:
We used to have this lovely bouganvilla in my grandmother's house but my grandfather took it down so he could build something there instead. It was a pity coz the plant always produce lots of flowers.
Anyway you have really gorgeous bouganvillas!- Saturday, July 7, 2007 at 3:41:00 PM PDT
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Oh how I love Bouganvillia's as well... Except for the thorns they use to 'hold on' to the host they are climbing over...
I especially like the really hot pink varieties!
Did you know, that what attracts you to this species is actually NOT the flower though??!! It is what is called a bract, and the flower is the little white (generally) thing in the middle of the 3-4 bracts around it!! Just a little science/anatomy of flowers lesson for today... ;)
Here from Michele's this morning...
Bernie- Saturday, July 7, 2007 at 5:12:00 PM PDT
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Must be a gorgeous sight on your hillside, a mass of tiny blooms looking like an explosion of color !
Nature's fireworks...- Saturday, July 7, 2007 at 5:25:00 PM PDT
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This is a lovely plant. I have never had a bouganvilla but each year I see them and I am sooooo tempted!! What a very gorgeous plant and I can't even imagine bouganvilla trees. Wow!!!!
- Saturday, July 7, 2007 at 7:20:00 PM PDT
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I love bouganvilla! Such a pretty plant. Would you believe I can't grow them? It's the only thing I can't get to bloom, I gave up.
- Saturday, July 7, 2007 at 7:26:00 PM PDT
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had this to say:
They look like paper or fall leaves. Your garden seems like an endless paradise.
- Saturday, July 7, 2007 at 8:35:00 PM PDT
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So pretty! I imagine that they smell lovely!
- Saturday, July 7, 2007 at 9:18:00 PM PDT
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These are stunning photos...a treat to view. Thanks.
- Saturday, July 7, 2007 at 10:03:00 PM PDT
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We had a lovely bouganvilla when we lived in NoCal, but they do not grow here. So that was such a treat, to see yours and see how healthy and pretty it is. Now, do you have any gardenias and jasmine for me to pine over? :-)
- Saturday, July 7, 2007 at 11:01:00 PM PDT
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Very colourful indeed, good pictures!
- Saturday, July 7, 2007 at 11:28:00 PM PDT
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had this to say:
Bouganvilla is also one of my favorite plants! I particularly love the purple and gold ones.
I'll never forget going to Kauai and there were hydrangeas that were 6 feet tall! Amazing how big the plants grow over there. I also love the silverswords that grow only on Haleakala! :) They are incredible, dramatic and so beautiful!- Sunday, July 8, 2007 at 12:16:00 AM PDT
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Beautiful pictures...bougainvillea bloom in hot weather, presumably it's really hot there. Lovely colors in one plant!
Naomi, you're a good photographer with excellent eyesight.- Sunday, July 8, 2007 at 1:02:00 AM PDT
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ooh, fabulous......shame Bougainvillea don't like the UK weather...
I think the colour is more apricot than orange.....or peach, maybe...
Even my lilies are starting to show the strain of weeks of rain...
MB is planning to uproot our shed and rebuild it elsewhere, so I get to decide what to plant in that corner.....thinking Japanese Maple - stunning colours.
Michele sent me, but you know I'm always hanging around here....
cool pix of Charlie 'then and now' on my blog :-)
cq- Sunday, July 8, 2007 at 3:11:00 AM PDT
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Ohhh, pretty, pretty Naomi! I had some bouganvilla plants when I lived in Florida.. they are beautiful! You never cease to amaze me with your wonderful photo's in your garden!
- Sunday, July 8, 2007 at 4:45:00 AM PDT
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I also fell in love with bougainvillea in Hawaii, Naomi. We rented 2 condos (with 3 other couples) back in the early 80's in Kona, on the Alii Highway, I think. It was a great place. In Barbados, I saw bougainvillea growing up the side of buildings at least 20 feet tall. It was breathtaking! There is nothing like the colors in it!
- Sunday, July 8, 2007 at 5:36:00 AM PDT
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Oh yes! I do agree with you. Bouganvillas are really beautiful especially when they are well cared for. Over here they usually have them on entrances of gates. They really do look good. You take good photos giving justice to what you capture.
- Sunday, July 8, 2007 at 6:30:00 AM PDT
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had this to say:
Your bouganvilla are a kaleidoscope of my favorite colors and so breathtaking to look at. It's no mystery that painters and artists continue to capture the delicate loveliness of flowers on canvas, but having a garden like yours is nature's perfect portrait.
- Sunday, July 8, 2007 at 9:18:00 AM PDT
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I'm back Naomi! I just wanted to tell you I was so intrigued by your beautiful stove that I tried to find out about it. I couldn't find much, but I THINK....repeat THINK...it may be an antique stove by a manufacturer named Dinsing (obvious, huh?) made in Belgium, and it could be truly antique or a replica. But most probably it is Belgium, or German, made.
- Sunday, July 8, 2007 at 9:42:00 AM PDT
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The Bouganvilla is truly lovely!
I first became aware of this flower because of the Sue Grafton "Kinsey Millhone" novels. Grafton talks about the beautiful bouganvilla in all those books.- Sunday, July 8, 2007 at 10:41:00 AM PDT
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had this to say:
The silversword (or ahinahina,as Hawaiian's call them) are indigenous only to Maui's Haleakala. When I was there in 2000, I went up there and saw them, they were so incredibly beautiful.
They are actually quite a fragile plant, if the human hand touches them, it disturbs the hairlike texture and they will die. Likewise, you have to say about 6-10 feet away from them because they have such surface, fragile root systems. They are protected as they are an endangered species. Interestingly, (if I remember right) they are a relative of the sunflower.
The Big Island has a relative of them, but are somewhat different, if I recall correctly.- Sunday, July 8, 2007 at 11:23:00 AM PDT
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had this to say:
Oh, one other thing about them, I read somewhere that for some of the silverswords it takes 10-15 years for them to reach blooming stage -- which of course, after they bloom they die.
- Sunday, July 8, 2007 at 11:26:00 AM PDT
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Beautiful colours!
Hello, Michele sent me, and I'm returning your visit from earlier!
Best,
N.- Sunday, July 8, 2007 at 12:13:00 PM PDT
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I've never heard of a Bouganvilla ... it's lovely!
- Sunday, July 8, 2007 at 12:39:00 PM PDT
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That's gorgeous!!! Here via michele.
- Sunday, July 8, 2007 at 2:17:00 PM PDT
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Delightful pictures. They reminded me of how much I love bouganvilla's and that I need to put a few in the ground.
- Sunday, July 8, 2007 at 3:02:00 PM PDT
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What gorgeous colors!
I love that bright coral color.
Kendra- Sunday, July 8, 2007 at 6:51:00 PM PDT
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What gorgeous colour! And sharp focused pictures! When I saw the title , I thought you were writing about some festival! Well, I guess they could have one for these flowers!
- Sunday, July 8, 2007 at 7:32:00 PM PDT
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I've had the pleasure of going to Hawaii twice, and I've experienced the lush, gorgeous plants and flowers there. No wonder you wanted to have some of that beauty at your home!!
The colors are so vivid.
Those fuzzies look so neat and unusual just sticking up here and there amongst the plants.- Sunday, July 8, 2007 at 9:31:00 PM PDT
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had this to say:
I've never seen these gorgeous flowers in real life. I love the warm colors, but especially enjoy the lighting play you display while photographing them.
Now, I'd like to see them in real life and paint them!
P.S. Your garden never ceases to amaze me.- Monday, July 9, 2007 at 6:23:00 AM PDT
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Gorgeous, Naomi! Breathtaking! You take wonderful pictures as always!
Well done!- Monday, July 9, 2007 at 5:00:00 PM PDT
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My breath was taken away the first time I ever saw these beautiful flowers, here in Calif., I believe, many years ago. The colors you picture here are so attractive.
I am rooting some of my own, just for fun, in my kitchen window as I write this. Haven't decided exactly where I want to plant them -- maybe in a huge pot with a trellis of some sort on my patio, so I can control them more easily, but enjoy the flowers.- Tuesday, July 10, 2007 at 2:15:00 AM PDT
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I think you and I have talked about the orange variety of Bougs before. They are an absolute favorite of mine, and along with purple, one of the rarest of the Boug colors. We currently have a the magenta variety, and it looks great against the red house. :) I love the photos, esp. the one showing the orange and pink leaves together. I can imagine them with all the green of the cactus surrounding them!
~S :)- Tuesday, July 10, 2007 at 12:35:00 PM PDT
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had this to say:
I stumbled upon your pictures by accident; I had googled "bouganvilla", trying to discover the name of a variety I had seen recently...beautiful blooms ranging from terra cotta through apricot to pale pink...I'm thrilled to see the same "flowers"...does anyone know the name of the particular variety? Wonderful pictures....
- Wednesday, October 24, 2007 at 3:23:00 PM PDT
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