How To Keep Unwanted Visitors Off Your Property With Stunning Bougainvillea

If you've traveled to the southernmost corners of the US, you've probably seen terraces or patios aflame with bougainvillea. These beautiful vines bursting with vibrant color are natives of South America but have been successfully introduced into gardens throughout the Mediterranean, the Caribbean, and the United States. In the states, they grow beautifully in zones 9 through 11 — areas that tend to have a lot of sun with arid conditions such as Arizona, parts of Texas and California, and Florida. Curiously, the bright colors on the bougainvillea are not the flowers, but the leaves. The bougie's flowers are tiny white clusters called brachts. Additionally, there's a bit of intrigue hidden within these wildly colorful blooms that proliferate in shades of magenta, yellow, and white.

If you live where bougainvillea will thrive here's everything you need to know before planting one. But understand that despite its natural botanical beauty, the vine has a surprise that is sure to keep unwanted visitors off your property, especially if you plant your bougainvillea along the top of a privacy fence or wall. This plant has thorns – and we're talking spikes that are inches long. You certainly won't want to touch those with your bare hands.

While bougainvillea is not poisonous, getting stuck by its thorns can cause dermatitis, a skin reaction similar to poison ivy that causes an itchy or burning rash, and raised, red blisters. Depending on the type of dermatitis and the treatment you receive, recovery can take weeks, even months.

You can use bougainvillea's naturally occurring thorns as an attractive, eco-friendly, and effective defense. While not classified as an invasive species, bougainvillea can grow very aggressively, and you can use this to your advantage to protect your property. Knowing this, you may want to plant your bougie several feet from your pool and main pathways in your yard.

Planting bougainvillea next to an outside wall or fence is ideal, since the vine needs the structure's support to grow vertically, then horizontally along the top. Its thorns will keep intruders from scaling or climbing over the barrier, providing security as efficiently as barbed wire, but in a much more aesthetically pleasing manner. Planting bougainvillea underneath a window or next to a little-used entrance to your home achieves the same kind of security. It's important to keep an eye on its growth, though, pruning it before it overwhelms nearby plants or becomes irretrievably overgrown.

If bougainvillea won't grow in your climate outdoors, other shrubs to plant in zones that are colder and more damp include firethorn, blackberry, roses, and Eastern prickly pear, which all offer the same type of barbed security. But, if you have your heart set on stunning foliage, we have tips on propagating bougainvillea. Properly planted and trimmed, you can have a lush growth of dazzling leaves in a pot or trained along a trellis for an exciting touch of tropical color throughout the year.