Barbara
Karst BougainvilleaBarbara
Karst Bougainvillea'Barbara Karst' is one of the hardiest Bougainvillea vines and blooms most heavily in winter and periodically throughout the year. This evergreen vine trains easily as an espalier.
Hardy to about 25F. Likes south and west exposure best. Loves the desert summer.
Moderate to ample. Too much water and fertilizer will reduce bloom.
Full or reflected sun. Appreciates south and west exposure. Growing under an eave allows you to drop a cover on frosty nights. Tolerate partial shade but do not bloom well.
Tolerant, but needs good drainage.
Very little except when training is required. Tie up growing branches (do not weave). Trim frost-damaged wood in mid-April, after plant has a chance to recover. Plant recovers from base, so unless given a chance to sprout new growth, trimming could removelive wood.
Sharp thorns. Agressive grower. Frost-damaged plants areslow to recover in spring.
Intense red to magenta color is in the bract that surrounds the insignificant white, star-shaped bloom. Blooms come on new wood at branch tips.
Specimens, containers. Trellises. Color or emphasis plants.
Member of the Nyctaginaceae family.
'Barbara Karst' is hardiest of the reds. 'San Diego Red' is similar in color but with larger leaves and fewer but larger blooms in clusters. One of the hardier strains, it recovers quickly from cold, but blooms later than 'Barbara Karst.' 'TexasDawn' is pink. Vigorous grower, it blooms profusely over a long period in summer after 'Barbara Karst' has finished. Other vines: 'Rainbow Gold' is burnt orange, 'Orange King' is frost tender, 'California Gold' bears golden bracts profusely for a long period, 'Jamaica White' has white bracts tinged with pink in cooler weather.
The shrub form has several cultivars: 'La Jolla' is red and recovers from freezes even in containers, 'Crimson Jewel' has red bracts densely covering plant for a long period, 'Convent' has magenta-purble bracts, 'Torch Glow' has pinkish red bracts.
Desert Transitional, Tropical, Subtropical.