Beyond the thorns

Rumi writes that ‘bougainvillea dances with the wind’ even in the heart of summer’s blaze. Other writers have called it ‘a beacon of hope,’ a ‘symphony of colours,’ a ‘flame burning bright amidst the darkness,’ and the truth is there for each of us to see and experience. If you look close enough beyond the thorns, you can see heart-shaped leaves serving flowers with petals that unfurl like the wings of a butterfly. This shrub or woody vine that can grow from 10 to 40 feet in height, has the power to make Tagore write that ‘the bougainvillea ignites the soul with its fiery brilliance’.

One of the best features during my morning walk around the sector where I live in Greater Noida, is that stretch of the slip road where these coloured petals play flamboyantly with he dull grey of the bitumen on the road and the sullen brown of the ground that is thirsty during summer months. I simply must pause the audiobook that I am listening to and spend time looking at these hues. If you are lucky, you may find pinks, purples, yellows, whites, reds, and oranges wave to you.

The other day I found a web-portal selling plants and was surprised to find them selling bougainvillea with multi-colour blooms in a single plant in a pot. This plant can grow well in pots at home and propagating it is not difficult. As these plants grow everywhere, it is easy to cut a twig that is at least five nodes in length and then cut away all leaves before making a slanting cut at one of these nodes. Apply rooting hormone to this twig and plant in a pot filled with a mix of garden soil, vermicompost, and coco-peat. New leaves will sprout in a fortnight or so. In case one is buying rooted bougainvillea from a nursery and wishes to transfer it to a pot for the balcony, experts recommend going for a large pot that is at least three times bigger than the one from the nursery. These are climbers and love archways and areas with trellis or even driveways and terraces with pergolas.

A year back when we were getting our home in Greater Noida renovated, the contractor expressed his concern about the security. This was when I read an article somewhere that talked about bougainvillea used as a bio-fence.

‘Ah!’ I said to myself, ‘the thorns on this plant can deter even a strong-willed intruder.’ So now we have a line of bougainvillea plants with assorted colours on the outer edge of the boundary that runs along one side. Nothing like the poetry of colours to also serve as our chowkidar! Moreover, this plant knows how to survive and does not need extensive care all the time. Yes, they do need to be watered well when flowers are blooming… or else the leaves will go on an over-drive and focus on their kitchen and not the flowers. These vines can tolerate even droughts and can thrive in a warm, tropical climate and do not mind even an angry sun! One may prune them if their presence is needed for sculptural elegance.

Vinayak Garg, who is the founder of Lazy Gardener, mentions in his book ‘How to Raise a Plant Baby’ that this plant originally came from Brazil and other parts of South America and was introduced to India in 1860. And look at how well bougainvillea has adapted and has even impressed our landscape architects and town planners which is why they ask developers to grow them on dividers on roads.

This morning there was an animated debate on a whatsapp group of my course-mates from the Indian Military Academy and we were merrily lambasting Vastu experts who come out with outlandish recommendations like turning stairways in a clockwise direction if they are otherwise. Or have the main door open into a service lane. Or simply fill our homes with crystal tortoises and unwieldy mirrors. Even the experts do not spare bougainvillea… and one Feng Shui practitioner with a website points out that this plant, also called fuang fah, should not be inside homes as they are known to throw obstacles and challenges in one’s path. Come on now, this plant obviously must be where its thorns will not hurt people and pets and where they will not tear chunris and saris… phew!!

Bougainvillea entered my life only because I was impressed by their colourful blooms during my walks… and because of the way they combine beauty and enduring charm with bucketfuls of resilience.

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Arvind Passey
02 April 2024
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