Bougainvillea Varieties: Colours and How to Choose

When choosing a bougainvillea, compare its bract colour, growth habit and the space available. A compact variety suits a container display, while a more vigorous form can cover a support. Knowing the exact variety helps you choose the effect you want.

The brightly coloured parts are bracts, which surround small flowers. Their colour, together with the foliage and growth habit, distinguishes the varieties in this guide.

Species and varieties: understanding the names

Bougainvillea glabra

This species generally has smooth foliage. Its bracts are often mauve or purple, although white forms also exist. It is part of the parentage of many cultivated bougainvilleas.

Bougainvillea spectabilis

This species is distinguished in particular by the hairs on its leaves and stems. Its bracts can be pink, red or purple. To understand the habit and colour of a plant offered for sale, refer to its cultivar.

Cultivars and hybrids

A name such as ‘Barbara Karst’ or ‘Raspberry Ice’ identifies a cultivar. Horticultural crosses offer a range of colours and shapes: exact identification is more useful for your project than the general label “bougainvillea”.

Six varieties and their distinctive features

‘Barbara Karst’: red bracts

This variety is known for its red bracts. Its climbing habit allows it to be trained on a support, with space and training planned to suit the project.

‘Helen Johnson’: a compact form

‘Helen Johnson’ is a dwarf variety with a bushy habit and red to reddish-purple bracts. It offers a compact option for container growing.

‘California Gold’: yellow to golden tones

Its yellow to golden bracts bring a bright touch of colour. This variety has a climbing habit, so allow the support and space needed to train it.

‘Raspberry Ice’: cherry bracts and variegated foliage

‘Raspberry Ice’ combines cherry-coloured bracts with cream-edged leaves. Its foliage adds decorative interest beyond the bracts themselves.

‘Vera Deep Purple’: deep purple and a compact habit

This variety has a compact, bushy habit and purple bracts. It brings colour to a container display of manageable size.

‘Double Red’: double bracts

‘Double Red’ stands out for its double red bracts, which give the flowering display a fuller appearance.

Which bougainvillea suits your project?

• For a pot: compare the variety’s habit, the plant’s size and the actual dimensions of its root ball. ‘Helen Johnson’ and ‘Vera Deep Purple’ are among the compact forms.
• For a support: plan suitable training and access to guide the shoots. Climbing forms need space that matches their growth.
• For colour: choose an identified cultivar. A photo of the plant with its bracts helps you assess the shade and foliage.
• For the location: prioritise light, warmth and shelter, and plan overwintering according to your climate.

Container care essentials

Light and location

Place bougainvillea in a very bright location. Outdoors, a sunny position encourages flowering. In a conservatory, adjust protection during the strongest hours of sunlight.

Watering and growing medium

Water according to the condition of the growing medium and allow excess water to drain away. Frequency depends on the pot, temperature and growth. A free-draining growing medium and a container with drainage holes make water management easier.

Overwintering and pruning

Where winters are cold, growing in a pot allows the plant to be moved into a bright, sheltered space with moderate temperatures. Reduce watering during the resting period. Guide the shoots and adjust pruning to the desired shape; carry out structural pruning before growth resumes.

Choose your plant and container with NATURA

Explore our outdoor plants and pots, tubs and planters. Our guide to choosing the right pot size helps you compare dimensions.

Looking for a specific colour or size? Contact NATURA with your preferred variety, light conditions and available space. The team can advise you on options suited to your project.

Horticultural sources: RHS — growing bougainvillea; RHS — ‘Vera Deep Purple’; University of Florida — cultivar characteristics; University of Hawai‘i — bougainvillea species.