Not something you see every day!

[bodhidharma]

It is Minus 2 here in the Central Highlands in the mornings and day temps 8-14 and if you leave a fig out the leaves blacken and the tree dies. So to see a Bougainvillea putting on flowers is unusual...........to say the least. Bougy's should not grow here but try telling that to this little "Smartypants". Deserves plaudits for being alive let alone flowering.

[melbrackstone]

Sometimes a plant will throw flowers and seed when it's under extreme stress... as a way of continuing when the weather improves... Do you think it might be screaming for help?

I know when we're in drought here the plants often flower more spectacularly....

[kcpoole]

I have lots out at the moment, but i am nowhere as cold as you are there

Ken

[bodhidharma]

.. Do you think it might be screaming for help?

I have had the tree for 15 years now, it never really grows but does this on the odd occasion.

I have lots out at the moment, but i am nowhere as cold as you are there

Ken

I would love to grow them but they usually die here..except this one.

[melbrackstone]

I have had the tree for 15 years now, it never really grows but does this on the odd occasion.

I'm so glad to read that!

[Andrew F]

My smarty pants has two bracts at the moment as well. Although my winter is alot more mild than yours obviously

[bodhidharma]

After posting this article i put my little "Smarty pants" in my Atrium next to the fish pond and, not being a tree i need to work on, promptly forgot about it. Now the said tree faded from my memory but i loved the pot it was in and wanted to use it for another tree for our show. I looked for the tree every where and wondered where it had disappeared to. Mounting a search this morning, i found it on the bottom of the pond and weed had completely covered it to look like a part of the pond. Now check the date of the first posting and the complete coverage of algae over the tree i deduced it has been in there for quite a while. as i went to pull the tree out of the pot, thinking it was dead I spotted green growth under the algae Upon reflection i cannot remember watering it at all and the obvious came to me, My young heeler who always follows me around, has knocked the tree into the pond after checking what i had put there, but she ain't saying A true story of how tough these little buggers are, submerged for three odd months and still going