Bougainvillea: Flower Companion Plants

Nemesia

Planting one of the many species of the genus Nemesia as a complement to bougainvillea suggests "San Diego Times-Union" garden writer Karen Dardick. Nemesia plants are low-growing, bushy shrubs that produce fragrant, tubular flowers in shades of white, red, orange and purple spring through summer, offering an attractive contrast to the climbing bougainvillea. Pinch away the new bushy growth of nemesia plants to encourage new blossoms to set off those of your bougainvillea.

If you're interested in a companion plant that can climb as high as your bougainvillea, consider moonflower vines (Ipomoea alba). Moonflowers appear as stark white, cup-shaped specimens that resemble extra-large morning glories. While moonflowers are usually only open during the hours of late afternoon and early evening, their impressive appearance an sweet fragrance make them an excellent companion plant to bougainvilleas.

Several varieties of jasmine make excellent companion plants for bougainvillea, as their fragrant white flowers continuously produce through spring, summer and fall under the right conditions. The star-shaped white flowers of jasmine appear on quick-growing evergreen vines that twine their way upwards around nearby supports. When paired together, the large, showy bracts of bougainvillea plants and the clusters of small white jasmine flowers create a dazzling display of color, depth and texture.

White clover (Trifolium repens) is often used as ground cover for those interested in feeding grazers. Ornamental cultivars of this plant, often considered a weed, make attractive foreground companions for tall bougainvillea plants. The USDA Natural Resource Conservation Service notes that white clover produces flowerheads above the foliage that accommodate between 40 and 100 individual florets, and that while most of these are white, some have a slightly pink hue. Large-flowered white clover varieties, such as the Ladino species, produce flowerheads typically two to four times the size of normal T. repens flowers., and Rebecca Tashiro of the University of Georgia notes that four ornamental genotypes of white clover have been developed.