Cathy @ Still Waters posted about bougainvilleas so I thought I'd join in, though she had photos of many and I only have one....which is more than enough.
My husband planted this bougainvillea some years ago now. It grew and he trimmed it but it kept growing and he only trimmed it like he had when it was smaller so gradually it got bigger and bigger and then he left and it wasn't trimmed at all......
Anyways, this year it was so big it shaded the whole back yard, it blocked my access to the driveway, the shade was killing the grass and on it goes. At the beginning of winter I started chopping it back. There were wheelie bins full of the stuff, it was stacked behind the garage waiting for the next bin day.
You can see some new canes growing up into the air on the left of the photo but you can't see the dozens of them that blend in with the tree in the neighbours place at the back. It's a monster, twice as tall as I am (at least) and probably five metres wide. Sometimes I just want to cut it off at the base. It's coming across the drive again. One day I'll probably get a thorn in my eye on the way to work.
It's glorious but it's a losing battle
I can see that it can be a nuisance, but on the other hand it's very cheerful!
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It is, isn't it? But then it's not poking your eye out :) :)
DeleteI had two different couloured plants in my garden but, the dogs were getting scratched by the thorns and I had to uproot them.
ReplyDeleteThe thorns can do some damage. Cuddles from me to your doggos
DeleteI just wish they would grow in my climate and survive the winter. I think bougainvilleas are beautiful! I suppose it does need to be trimmed so you don't injure yourself.
ReplyDeleteIt's not a bad thing, just way too big for the location....and getting bigger
DeleteThose thorns are vicious aren't they? We planted a few when we lived in Central West NSW, they are beautiful but definitely have world domination plans. I suspect if you chopped it down to ground level you would slow but not kill it.
ReplyDeleteI suspect you are right! I like it but just not THAT much
DeleteVery beautiful and so seductive. Yes they are nasty things - a pair of heavy gloves are needed to deal with them. Maybe you could just get someone in to give it a huge cut back and keep it.
ReplyDeleteYes, it can stay for now, it would be bare without it
DeleteIt is glorious and it looks like it is not growing touching your house, which is very wise. We bought an apple farm years ago, with a bougainvillea planted next to the house. After several years we noticed it had pushed its way into the attic through a vent, plus entwined itself around the electrical wires to the house. Yikes, that was very difficult to trim back!
ReplyDeleteYes, I have seen them taking over houses and I have no doubt they could do significant damage. I'd have the chainsaw out n a flash if I thought that was happening!
DeleteWelcome here Terra
We don't have any bougainvillea. but we do have an enormous eucalyptus tree. When it was little, I kept pruning it back but Jenny wanted to let it rip and it's now about 50 feet high! The branches sway alarmingly in high winds but the trunk looks solid enough.
ReplyDeleteGum trees get pretty big and ocasionally drop a branch for no known reason but I think you'll be ok :)
DeleteI do think it is gorgeous! Dangerous maybe, but beautiful!
ReplyDeleteIt's really only dangerous when you get up close. It just annoys me because it's so enormous and just when I think it's under control, it's not!
DeleteI didn't know they had thorns - that is definitely a drawback. It IS beautiful, though. It's surprising what you can accomplish by picking away at big jobs like that. Good luck getting it to a more manageable size and yes be careful of your eyes!
ReplyDeleteJenny! so good to see you here! It's a stunning colour, isn't it? it has some flowers all year round but it's in it's full glory right now
DeleteI absolutely love these trees and only saw them first when I was in Puerto Rico. But I hear you on the sprawl and the thorns. The ones I kept seeing draped themselves neatly over walls but they were probably cultivated like that.
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From some angles, ours might appear to be draped over the fence but it stands independently. I guess part of the reason i'ts so huge is that the canes eventually fall, making it wider rather than higher
DeleteThey are stunning, I would love one but they won't grow here. I didn't know they are so invasive or have lethal thorns though. I hope Harry is getting better.
ReplyDeleteThe thorns are a couple of inches, Polly. Thanks for the well wishes for Harry, he is nearly better, just holds his foot up sometimes, I think it gets a bit stiff after a lie down
DeleteWow it is beautiful though. Everything beautiful has a thorny side too.
ReplyDeleteIt really is spectacular. I'm always torn between subtle colours and the out and out dazzling. Dazzling won on this one :)
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