Bougainvillea 'Juanita Hatten'

As a fledgling grower in Hawaii I was seeking my niche to support my emerging wholesale nursery. My original farm was located in sunny Ha...Read Morenapepe, Kauai which is known as the "Bougainvillea Capitol of the World". Suddenly the light went on and I began to collect various specie and cultivars of Bougainvillea that I could readily identify. During that phase of development, I came across an ad in one of the horticultural trade journals advertising Bougainvillea liners. I called the number listed in the ad and that was how I came to know Mr. Bill Hatten of Mobile, Alabama. After a very interesting conversation I ordered an assortment of liners Hatten's Nursery had to offer. Within a few days my 1st shipment arrived and I was so completely blown away by what I saw I could not get the liners into pots quick enough. Fortunately for me, living and growing in Hawaii meant that I would see accelerated growth...which is exactly what I experienced. And, in that initial purchase of liners I had received the cultivar "Juanita Hatten". Its feint, ghost like leaf variegation was remarkable and the ensuing bract color was doubly impressive. This particular Bougainvillea was a solid performer for me in Kauai. It out performed so many established cultivars currently being over-used in the Hawaii landscape that its introduction caused quite a stir. As my relationship with Bill grew, his mentoring propelled me to the height of my practice. And, in return, I researched heavily the genus and began to write a book devoted to the plant. I learned from Mr. Hatten that the cultivar "Juanita Hatten" was named after his lovely wife. In addition, I discovered that Bill had selected a bud sport from the popular variegated cultivar "Raspberry Ice" which was originally introduced as "Hawaii" many years earlier. So, now I was well prepared to market this lovely flowering vine with ample knowledge of its origin which ultimately set me apart from the competition because I had a history to share about the plant. Many years later has found me elsewhere in the world. But, my passion for the Bougainvillea and for the appreciation of the stellar work Bill Hatten did to bring contributions such as "Juanita Hatten" to the global market has me feeling very proud to have benefited from his generous nature and lasting mentoring. In fact, my two favorite Bougainvillea remain "Juanita Hatten" and "Dr. David Barry". I suspect that as these plants made their way into commerce, names were altered and/or forgotten. But, at least here in Dave's Garden I can share a bit of my involvement as tribute to my friend, mentor and supporter, Mr. William "Bill" Hatten. A hui hou kakou!

I love Juanita Hatten. It does great on my balcony getting the afternoon hot sun. It's very drought tolerant and doesn't need to be water...Read Moreed often. Letting it dry out and become root bound helps it flower more. I will need to move this inside and take some cuttings just in case.