(Cotton Tree, Red Kapok, Red-silk-cotton Tree)

This large, spiny, buttress-trunked deciduous tree has long been cultivated for its showy red flowers and fiber-filled seedpods. It is native to arid river valleys and open woodlands from India to northern Australia.

The spreading branches of this tropical tree are lined with large, hand-shaped, long-stemmed leaves, each with five to seven oval leaflets. The huge, waxy, red to orange-red blooms open from plump green buds in late winter and early spring, a week or two before the leaves emerge....

(Bougainvillea)

The genus Bougainvillea comprises about 18 species. They are woody, scrambling, thorny vines, shrubs and small trees native to South America. The genus is named for Louis Antoine de Bougainville, a French explorer who sailed around the world in 1767 and discovered the plant in the area of Brazil. There are several commercially important species and hundreds of cultivated varieties.

Generally, these plants are evergreen but some may be semi-evergreen for a short time during winter....

(Bougainvillea, Elizabeth Angus Bougainvillea, Paperflower)

This fabulous tropical vine has brilliant magenta purple flowers that can’t be beat. Moreover, its shiny foliage and moderate size make ‘Elizabeth Angus’ a perfect hybrid Bougainvillea for smaller gardens. This hybrid holds its vivid color far longer than larger forms but the blooms may require manual removal once they have faded.

Bougainvillea is grown for its garishly bright blooms. The true flowers are small, tubular and inconspicuous but are surrounded by large, bright,...

(Bougainvillea, Firemound Bougainvillea, Paperflower)

What a bright and vibrant bloomer! This compact bougie becomes a mound of red flame when in bloom. Its shiny foliage and compact size make ‘Firemound’ a perfect hybrid Bougainvillea for containers and small gardens. This cultivar has the same graceful arching branches as larger forms, but they are held low to the ground.

Bougainvillea is grown for its garishly bright blooms. The true flowers are small, tubular and inconspicuous but are surrounded by large, bright, papery...

(Bougainvillea, Helen Johnson Bougainvillea, Paperflower)

This dwarf bougie is one of the best for massing as a groundcover. It is a semi-vining woody shrub that becomes covered with vivid magenta blooms. The shiny deep green foliage and compact size of ‘Helen Johnson’ make it a perfect hybrid Bougainvillea for containers and small gardens. It has the same graceful arching branches as larger forms, but they are held low to the ground.

The garishly bright blooms of this tropical evergreen are the heaviest from late winter to spring, though...

(Bougainvillea, Imperial Delight Bougainvillea)

The genus Bougainvillea comprises about 18 species. They are woody, scrambling, thorny vines, shrubs and small trees native to South America. The genus is named for Louis Antoine de Bougainville, a French explorer who sailed around the world in 1767 and discovered the plant in the area of Brazil. There are several commercially important species and hundreds of cultivated varieties.

Generally, these plants are evergreen but some may be semi-evergreen for a short time during winter....

(Bougainvillea, James Walker Bougainvillea, Paperflower)

This fabulous tropical vine with its brilliant purple flowers brings vibrant color to frost-free gardens. It is a hallmark of Mexico and California but can be found thriving in dry climates around the world. The parent species are native to South America where various colors and forms were bred early on to create the contemporary garden varieties. This large woody vine-like plant known as a liana produces long arching branches decked with dark green leaves. It thrives in well-drained soils in very...

(Bougainvillea, Juanita Hatten Bougainvillea, Paperflower)

Variegated leaves and fiery red color combine in this showy tropical vine for frost-free gardens. This is a liana, a term for tropical shrubs that send their long branches into jungle trees of South America. Three major species are the parents of our contemporary hybrids, which have been crossed into a dazzling array of sizes and colors. The long shoots of ‘Juanita Hatten’ are lined with dark green leaves sectioned elegantly with lighter-green.

The blend of bright red and dark pink color is from...

(Bougainvillea, La Jolla Bougainvillea, Paperflower)

This shrubby bougainvillea features bright red flowers and a relatively short-branched, compact, arching habit. It is one of a rainbow of Bougainvillea hybrids developed over the past few decades. All bougainvillea species hail from tropical and subtropical regions of South America.

The red "blossoms" are actually leaf-like bracts, which subtend clusters of tiny tubular flowers. The true flowers are pollinated by hummingbirds and long-tongued insects, bringing further color to the garden....

(Bougainvillea, Mary Palmer Bougainvillea, Surprise Bougainvillea)

The hybrid 'Mary Palmer' bougainvillea (also known as 'Surprise' and 'Snow Cap'), a cross of Bougainvillea spectabilis and B. peruviana, is a lovely semi-evergreen vine that usually flowers multiple times across the year. The small flowers are creamy-white and are surrounded by colorful papery bracts that are coppery when young and then mature to white and vibrant shades of pink. Some bracts can have marbling of the two colors. Occasionally the plant may revert to bracts that are...