The Bougainvillea Blues
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Bougainvillea blooms
I know that probably seems like an odd title considering the photo here is of a flaming pink bougainvillea. But - uh, bear with me a moment, will ya? I gotta get some things off my chest.
(Pause while your intrepid and generally unflappable editor jumps up screaming, slapping at his chest repeatedly as he attempts to get a couple of bugs off his chest that somehow dropped down from a clear blue sky.)
Eek! Yuck! Whew! I think I’m alright now. Yuck, I hate icky bugs, especially when they land on you unannounced and all…
Don’t worry folks; I’ll be OK. Today I’m braving the elements once again to share another lesson I picked up from our backyard garden.
The Reluctant Bougainvillea
You folks remember Phil and Queenie, right? Well, we also have this hanging plant, a bougainvillea (wow, is that ever hard to spell!) that makes me nuts. (OK; maybe it’s more accurate to say it helps keep me nuts.) I simply can’t figure it out.
See, when we first saw it at the nursery (does it seem strange to you like it does me that the same word is used to describe a place for both newly born humans and for newly grown plants? What are they, Triffids?) it was completely covered in lovely blooms such as the one you see here. It was, to say the least, quite impressive.
Since we wanted something that would provide a splash of color and handle full sun with ease, well, a hanging basket of bougainvillea seemed to be just the ticket. We brought it home (no name yet, but we’re working on it) and hung it on a pole in our garden.
Apparently, though, our back yard must be the equivalent of a radioactive waste to bougainvilleas, because within two weeks, it was nothing but a bunch of sticks. I’m serious; every single bloom and leaf was on the ground below. Sheesh! Was it something I said?
I kept watering it every now and then as instructed (according to the nurseryman, you’re supposed to let it dry out, then flood it), just to see what would happen, and sure enough, a couple of the branches started sprouting a few new leaves again (phew; so much for the radioactive theory). After a few more weeks, it was partially re-leafed (is that a word?), then lo and behold, the bunch of blooms pictured here appeared.
Since then I’ve been waiting see if it comes completely back, but so far, it’s still only a shadow of its former self (see the photo below for its current state). We’ve had other plants that looked like they were going to kick the bucket, so to speak, but they came back even bigger and better than ever, so I guess we’ll just have to see.
Hey, if nothing happens, well, there’s plenty of other things I can try, like repotting it, relocating it to a different spot, assorted fertilizers, and as a last resort, maybe I can plant it next to Phil and Queenie and see if they give it some inspiration. You never know just which technique will be the one that does the trick.
Having just recently wrapped up our Metaphors for Life groupwrite project, it occurred to me this bougainvillea might just be a metaphor for something. Now, if I could just put my finger on exactly what it’s a metaphor, er, for… ah! How about this:
Are You Resilient?
Bougainvillea basket
So I guess the Question of the Day is: Are you resilient?
By that I mean if you were to experience a setback - say, you just found out a project you’ve poured yourself into didn’t get funded, or perhaps you’ve suffered a sudden and unexpected disappointment in a relationship - well, are you the kind of person who can “come back” easily?
It’s not an idle question. As we all know by now, life doesn’t always work out the way we want (please ignore the gasps of surprise from behind you). For that matter, I would venture to say a significant percentage of things we want to happen - usually, um, don’t.
So what’s a body to do? Well, if you’re like me (and once again, sincere condolences if you are), or even like our sad little bougainvillea, there are a few things you can try.
Repotting - OK, so your feet aren’t firmly rooted in soil. Still, you’re probably rooted to something (like that pet project I mentioned earlier). But if you’ve tried everything you know to do, and it just isn’t quite gelling, well, maybe it’s time to, you know, move on to a new one. You gave it your best shot, but it just didn’t work out. No problem; use what you learned to build a brand new opportunity. You might just come back stronger.
Relocating - Now, I don’t know about you, but I’ve kinda moved about this ol’ planet a few times. (In fact, as it says up there in the About Yours Truly page, Mrs. MZM and I have moved well over 60 times during the course of our 26-year marriage.) There’s just something exciting about moving to a new place, isn’t there? New scenery, new people, (maybe) new job, new house, new - well you probably know what it’s like. One thing relocating always does is stimulate our interest levels. It’s sorta like restoring the “buzz”, if you get my drift.
Fertilizer - Sometimes the problem with plants is they’re missing an essential element or two in their diet. And likewise, sometimes we’re only missing a couple of elements to really make our ideas click, you know? I was getting frustrated while building a business case the other day, but when a co-worker made a simple suggestion - voila! (which is a French word for well I’ll be doggoned!) it made all the difference! Like our sticken plant, all I needed was one little element to move my case from merely OK - to great!
Inspiration - No matter how creative you happen to be, don’cha find there’s times you just can’t seem to get the ol’ Muse stirred up and earning their keep? I know I do. That’s where it helps to take my eyes off the Center of the Universe (that’s a euphemism for, um, “me”) and look around. Hey, there’s all kinds of inspiration out there, you know? What’s more; there’s an easy-peezy, sure-fire, no-fail method of tapping into it, too: All you need is a change of focus. Yup; if you’ll just begin to notice all the amazing stuff going on around you, well trust me Bubba; there simply aren’t enough books to contain it all!
So What About You?
All right, by now you’re somewhat better educated on the care and feeding of a bougainvillea spectabilis. But the real question is, are you better able to handle setbacks? What about it? Have you experienced a setback recently, and what did you do to manage it (after, you know, throwing a hissy-fit and jumping up and down)?
Take a moment to share your experience here. Add more advice if you have some. Hey, we’re listening!
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Other posts from the backyard garden series: Phil and Queenie: A Love Story
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Photo credits:
Bougainvillea blooms, by Robert Hruzek
Bougainvillea basket, by Robert Hruzek
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21 responses so far
Middle Zone Musings is a comfortable place to stop, have a cup of coffee, swap a few stories and share practical ideas for the real world. I don't ask for much, just a bit of your brain every now and then. Have a seat, take a load off, and relax...
Sixty moves? I wish I’d known you when I was selling boxes! … We’re getting a feast of resiliency on the Olympics these last weeks. It’s amazing how these athletes bounce back from a crumby prelim or a botched gymnastics routine. How do they do it? I imagine focus is a big part of it. Don’t dwell on the past. Learn what you can from it and move on.
Brad Shorrs last blog post..WISIWYG or HTML Editors - Which Do You Prefer?
Ah, looks like that poor plant might need an intervention with an expert! Didn’t you mention some bugs in the beginning? Perhaps you have some chomping away at the vital parts.
You’ve moved 60 times in 26 years? Wow. Have you put together a blog post on some of the memorable places you’ve lived?
I’ve been going back and forth on that question of yours about resiliency. I tend to give up easily and not work through things but on other things, I can persist like a firmly attached bug until I accomplish something. I guess that’s true of everyone– we probably persist on things that we have a passion for or a mission.
My eyeballs hurt from all this thinking this morning!
Karen Putzs last blog post..Yes, It’s My Birthday–You Want to See My Present?
Robert, what a great lesson from a plant I can’t spell! lol! I love the idea of repotting. In fact all of this is great advice and a wonderful way to recover from setbacks. I am pretty resilient,not sure if that’s been my choice or circumstances but I do bounce back like a rubber ball. A couple of other things that have helped are watering and pruning. As you noted there is a time to water (nourishing the roots and allowing them to take firm hold so that they can bloom) and a time for drying out. Pruning seems to cut away vital parts but it makes room for healthy new growth. God’s pruning process can sometimes be temporarily uncomfortable but the end result is always well worth it.
@Brad - I’m tellin’ ya Brad, we are absolute wizards and packing! I mean, seriously. I could call Mrs. MZM by 10 am and she’d have us packed and ready in 24 hours flat. (We actually didn’t use boxes - we put everything in large duffel bags.)
The key to resilience, and I think you hit on it - is the ability to keep the focus on looking forward, even while analyzing the past. You can easily tell from something like the Olympics who’s successful at it and who’s not.
@Karen P. - An intervention - very funny!
No, there’s no evidence of any munching going on from bugs (or for that matter, people) - it’s just not comin’ back. The nurseryman said to prune it ruthlessly and it should be fine. Can’t figure out where to put the prunes, though…
You know, Mrs. MZM has always said we should write a book about our
travailstravels. Might just have to do that sometime. Oh, and sorry ’bout the eyes thing!@Karen S. - Yup; gotta get to prunin’… You’re right about it being uncomfortable, though! Yuk. But when it’s over, Bubba, it’s time to GROW!!!
Robert,
I’m pretty resilient—I’d probably still be lying in bed paralyzed from a stroke if I wasn’t resilient.
But moving … that’ s outside my experience. I grew up on a farm, lived there until I went to college, then got married as soon as I finished school. Jack and I have lived in the same house for 41 years of marriage, and he’d lived here for 3 or 4 years before we married. I’m not sure I’m resilient enough to handle a move.
Oh … and for your bougainvillea, find those prunes and prune it back ruthlessly. Then don’t let it get quite so dry between waterings. It looks like it’s water-deprived. Plants that are water-deprived often bloom profusely—it seems they think they’re dying and want to create the possibility of heirs before they go.
Growers keep blooming plants on the dry side to force blooms, but a little too dry and they lose their leaves.
Yeah, I imagine you’ve got a few illustrations about learning resilience the hard way, eh, Lillie? But you should try a move just for the experience of it. It’ll open yer eyes, I’ll tell ya!
Hey, thanks for the gardening expertise; I’ll have to try it. As for the growers, well those little boogers ought to be ashamed of themselves.
I know I’m a bit late for entering the conversation but that’s due to having a wonderful talk with a very dear friend yesterday afternoon and evening. Yes, I can be resilient. I am resilient in solving computer problems: I am still trying to get things fixed when other people around me jump up and down and want to have the comp thrown out of the window. But I am not resilient in things where I am not sure of myself: I have tried out drawing, sketching and painting on my own and gave that up because I thought I wasn’t good at it. Then I did it with a friend, and his gving me some feedback encouraged me to keep on doing it.
I wish you all the best for your bougainvillea!
Ulla Hennigs last blog post..Keep on Trying
Wow, I look forward to seeing some of your drawings and sketches, Ulla. It’s nice when a friend can help us see something wonderful we didn’t know about ourselves, isn’t it?
I’m like you when it comes to computers. No matter how irritating they get, deep down, I know I still have the ultimate power over them - I can still throw ‘em out the window as a last resort! :-\
Robert,
well, just put one pastel painting on my blog. Anxiously waiting for your comment…
Ulla
Ulla Hennigs last blog post..Seagulls fighting
Thanks, Ulla! Hey everybody - let’s reconvene over at Ulla’s place: Seagulls Fighting
But don’t forget to come back! :-O
I have “bogies” climbing up both sides of my house. Hot pink and deep red. Every morning, they take my breath away. Thank you for making me smile.
Writer Dads last blog post..I Promise.
You’re welcome, Writer Dad; glad I could help! One thing bougainvilleas are good for is a deep dose of color (if you can get them to bloom, that is!) Hopefully ours will recover soon.
By the way, I’ve subscribed to your feed so I can check out your blog.
I’m sure your bougainvillia will recover however one thing I’m still recovering from is when my neighbour asked to come into our yard to get something she dropped. Then when I went out after she had gone my beautiful bougainvillia was cut right down to it’s base! It was ALL gone… years of growth…GONE!
Danielles last blog post..Two angels stood before me
Unbelievable, Danielle! Does your neighbor know that you, er, know where she lives? Sheesh, what did you do? Ya gotta come back and let me know about this one!
Hahahaha. I never knew that I had a Bougainvillea in my garden! It was there since I bought the house… and I love it.
Uris last blog post..Jote Pack
Cool, Uri! I hope yours is blooming a LOT more than ours! Hey, thanks for dropping by!
Setbacks ?Just so happens I had one in the past couple of days. But you know something- it came from something that was promised but will not now be delivered and I had a gut feeling that there might be a hitch ( dunno where it came from ) so I held back on publicising. How glad I am that I did. So back to plan A - because we had a big plan before this other one came in - and it was a really good one anyway!
A bougainvillea story. I have found a wonderful website for sending plants as gifts. I have been sending orange , lime and lemon trees over the past few months. These species along with bougainvillea are pretty rare in Scotland - you won’t find many outside in gardens that’s for sure. But the fit well in our heated houses. Anyway turns out that the couple celebrating their golden wedding ( 50 years!) that I sent the bougainvillea to had had a wonderful holiday some years ago and the lady of the partnership has a favourite picture of that holiday with her and her husband beside a beautiful bougainvillea. She said that she never dreamed that it would be possible to have one of her own. And there was no way of me knowing this.
Maybe i should ask her for tips on pruning Bob!
Jackie Camerons last blog post..Word of the week - proud.
Jackie, what a wonderful example of serendipity! I love it when stuff like this happens - it’s when life gives you that little something extra, that je ne se quois, you know?
As for my big project, we’re kinda on pins and needles waiting on one, too (supposed to know by tomorrow evening). Hopefully it will go forward, but waiting is such a killer. Luckily there’s other plans afoot, though…
For pruning tips, just read the comments on this post - lots of great advice!
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