Bougainvillea

There is no other flower so closely related to Zamboanga than the ubiquitous bougainvillea. My contention is this – it is the bougainvillea that gave Zamboanga its famed stature as the “City of Flowers,” justified or not. For sure, there are many other cities in the country that can claim that title. Who can deny Baguio’s flower prominence long before it decided to showcase it in floral float parades during its annual flower festival? Who can rival Davao’s flower power when it comes to orchids? If quality and variety are to be the standards, where will Zamboanga land? Neither for flower quality or variety but for the lovely, lowly bougainvillea of Zamboanga, that many are willing to part with the title “City of Flowers.”

As far back as I can recall, bougainvillea have adorned the homes and gardens of the Zamboanguenos. They can be seen along highways and by-ways of the city and in its public parks and gardens. And what a spectacular sight they make in their myriad of colors and profusion of blooms. So fabulous in display that it is hard to remove from one’s mind the image of a flower-laden city.

I cannot forget how as a boy living in the barrio, I watched foreign tourists stop their cars, get off and take photos of a nipa-hut, just along the road, that was almost covered with bougainvillea. Sometimes, they turn to face the other side of the road, aim and zoom their lenses to the corridor of our two-storey wooden house, standing alone and far off the road, but also bedecked with vibrant potted bougainvillea.

The woman of the hut, I remember, didn’t have elaborate garden rituals but to sweep her yard briskly with an escoba tingting (a broom of bundled coconut sticks) until  the bare ground turns like hardened concrete and to splash her plants with a pail of water. Yet her garden is incomparable and picture-postcard in beauty.

Sadly, that little hut with bougainvillea bursting in the garden is already a thing of the past, pushed behind commercial stalls that now line the side of the road. Sceneries like this are fast becoming a rarity. How much less lively and colorful mi pueblo can be without them? Let’s bring back the bougainvillea!

Bougainvillea, they say is of Brazilian origin. (Another latin connection?) They love the sun and like warm tropical climate that’s why they grow well here. These flowering vines are among the most popular and most beautiful tropical plants. They are hardy, vigorous, evergreen, woody with spines. They grow readily from cuttings and grow best under stress. To a great extend, they are pretty much like the Zamboangueno in character. So, hola bougainvillea, claim your rightful place!