The lockdown page that brought growers together

At 35, Chiranjit Maity cheerfully calls himself pagol (mad) about kagoz phool (paper flower), a Bengali name for Bougainvillaea. Ask him about the plant, and he can speak for hours, sharing stories about its bracts, colours, and cultivars with infectious passion.

During the Covid lockdown, Maity launched a Facebook page titled World of Bougainvillaea. Within a week, it had drawn over a lakh people from across the globe.

Questions, requests for rare cuttings, and enquiries about prized varieties began pouring in. Maity interacted with growers, nursery owners, breeders, collectors, and institutions. Through these conversations, the page brought him closer to Bougainvillaea enthusiasts around the world and helped him emerge as a trusted voice within the community.

The rush of interest around the page reflected a wider change taking place across Bengal.

For generations, the Bengali bari (home) was defined by the fragrance of Bel, or jasmine, and the fiery canopy of Krishnachura. These plants served as ornamentals and cultural anchors, woven into the rhythms of festivals, seasons, and everyday life.

Today, a drive through South Kolkata, Barrackpore, or the peri-urban fringes of Howrah reveals another plant claiming space in Bengal’s urban landscape. Bougainvillaea spills across balconies, walls, and terraces in cascades of magenta, purple, orange, and white.

Social media has carried this enthusiasm further. Facebook and Instagram are filled with posts in Bangla, where gardeners exchange photographs, growing advice, and information about cultivars.

Why Bengal’s gardeners are choosing bougainvillaea

The change reflects a post-pandemic gardening boom as well as the plant’s ability to adapt to urban growing conditions. Nursery owners report that Bougainvillaea sales have overtaken those of traditional creepers by nearly 40% over the past three years.

Its appeal lies partly in the limited care it demands. Unlike Madhabilata, Bougainvillaea can flourish through warm temperatures, strong sunlight, distinct dry spells, monsoon rainfall, mild winters, and well-drained soil.

These conditions suit much of Bengal. The plant can also grow in polluted urban air and the cramped corners of city balconies.

More than 250 cultivated varieties are grown in the region, most of them hybrids of B. spectabilis, B. glabra, and B. peruviana. They are valued for their vivid bracts in pink, red, purple, orange, white, and variegated forms.

The vibrant pink bush long seen across Indian gardens and cityscapes is Camarillo Fiesta, a landscaper’s favourite and one of Bougainvillaea’s most familiar varieties.

From a colonial import to Bagan Vilas

Bougainvillaea’s journey to Bengal began in the 19th century. The Agri-Horticultural Society of India, founded in 1820, imported cultivars such as B. spectabilis and B. glabra from Europe and South America.

Over time, the plant moved beyond institutional gardens and spread across British India through the efforts of individual growers. Hybrids such as the bicoloured ‘Mary Palmer’ also became popular.

At Santiniketan, Bougainvillaea acquired a distinctly Bengali identity.

The afternoon sun slanted across the red earth as cascades of Bougainvillaea moved in the breeze. Rabindranath Tagore, walking with his students, paused near the flowering arches.

“Bagan Vilas,” he called them, meaning ornament of the garden.

Tagore’s influence on Bengal’s cultural landscape helped the name travel through the students of Visva-Bharati and........

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