Bougenvelias know when they are loved...

I grew up in Southern California ~ the land of Bougenvelia ~ and though most people there think of it as not-that-special, I have always loved it. Actually, it is one of the few things I miss about California. But alas, all of my adult life, I have lived places where it is just too cold for Bougenvelia to thrive.

Last summer, my daughter and I took a road trip to Bainbridge Island to see my old friend Joan. I found a glorious Bougenvelia at a nursery there. It really did make me swoon. I brought it home and it held its own through fall, then started to look very dead. But all winter, I kept it inside, in a south facing window. I watered it (but not too much) and tried to convince it that we live in Santa Barbara. My fussing must have paid off...Look! It started to bloom...and it's only February! Don't you just love nature?!