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Vine · Nyctaginaceae Draft — unreviewed

Barbara Karst bougainvillea

Bougainvillea‘Barbara Karst’

Thorny, sprawling vine with masses of magenta-red bracts in the heat of the low desert. Covers walls, fences and slopes.

Size over time

Typical landscape size 3–6 m (10–20 ft) tall and 3–6 m (10–20 ft) wide; fast growth, about 3 years to maturity. Intermediate sizes use the planner’s growth curve (k = 0.45) from the #3 install size.

0246mPlanting1.0 × 0.3 mYear 33.6 × 3.4 mYear 104.5 × 4.5 mMature4.5 × 4.5 m

Bloom

Magenta-red flowers, Mar–Jun, Sep–Nov (northern-hemisphere months; timing shifts with region and season).

Bloom calendar: months each plant is in bloom
PlantJFMAMJJASOND
Barbara Karst bougainvillea : Mar–Jun, Sep–Nov

Design notes

  • Frost burns it back below about −2 °C; it usually regrows from the base.
  • Blooms best when slightly dry and not overfertilized; sharp thorns.

Regions

Native range: Garden hybrid of South American species.

Not recorded as native to any of the three pilot regions.

Native status describes where the species occurs naturally. It is not a promise that it suits a particular garden; site conditions decide that.

Related plants

Crossvine
Bignonia capreolata · Vine · 9–15 m (30–49 ft)
Trumpet creeper
Campsis radicans · Vine · 9–12 m (30–39 ft)
Jackman clematis
Clematis 'Jackmanii' · Vine · 2.4–3.6 m (8–12 ft)
Carolina jessamine
Gelsemium sempervirens · Vine · 3–6 m (10–20 ft)
Climbing hydrangea
Hydrangea anomala subsp. petiolaris · Vine · 9–15 m (30–49 ft)
Coral honeysuckle
Lonicera sempervirens · Vine · 3–6 m (10–20 ft)

Plan with Barbara Karst bougainvillea

Place it in a design, check it against your zone, light and moisture, and see it at year three and year ten.

Start designing Try a sample garden