Bougainvillea

This is a true miniature form of the huge tropical vines that are the star performers of tropical gardens. Not only is ‘Pink Pixie’ a better candidate for small, sun-drenched gardens than most bougainvilleas, it’s a popular bonsai and topiary specimen too. This is a dwarf form of the variety ‘Torch Glow,’ discovered by a California grower among a group of bougainvilleas imported from the Philippines. What makes this sun-loving dwarf so unusual is the short distance between nodes on its stems, with the result that the flowers and leaves are packed tightly together. The effect is an entirely different look from the usual bougainvillea hybrids. The bloom of ‘Pink Pixie’ comes from small bright-pink bracts amid densely packed yellow green leaves. Bracts are modified leaves evolved to lure pollinators to the nearly insignificant true flowers nestled among them. These small, white tubular blooms are pollinated by hummingbirds.