Plant of the day: Sweet potato or Batata بطاطا

Quick guide:
Plant category: Herbaceous perennial flowering vine
Color: Most common is white with a purple inside plus shades of violet
Light: Abundant sun
Water: Avoid excessive watering as root may rot
Soil: Moderately moist
Location: On fences or trellises for support
Pruning: Cut off yellowing saggy leaves or branches for promoting new growth and stronger flowers
Bloom Cycle: Four to six weeks
Availability: Not a single nursery carries it, but all markets and supermarkets carry the root which is all you need to start your own vine.
Price range: Pennies....dirt cheap but priceless in beauty!

Plant of the day: Bougainvillea or Guhanameya جهنمية

Quick Guide
Plant category: Blooming vine
Color: Typically purple, pink or whites with some orange and yellow vines
Light: Bright full sun
Water: Tolerates very little water
Soil: Moist fertile
Location: Best in its own container or side of the garden, does not bloom if sharing space with other plants.
Pruning: Recommended regularly for continuouos flowering
Bloom cycle: Four to six weeks
Availability: Every nursery in Egypt
Price Range: Ranges from 10 to 20 L.E (egyptian pounds) for small ones depending on nursery.(Always negotiate with seller when buying more than one plant)

Here's my short and sweet version of what Wikipedia has for us on this beautiful flowering plant:

Bougainvillea (pronounced /ˌbuːɡɨnˈvɪliə/)[1] is a genus of flowering plants native to South America from Brazil. Different authors accept between four and 18 species in the genus. The plant was discovered in Brazil in 1768, by Philibert Commerçon, French Botanist accompanying French Navy admiral and explorer Louis Antoine de Bougainville (hence the name of course) during his voyage of circumnavigation.

The Arabic name Guhanameya, meaning from Guhannam or (Hell and Fire) is of course referring to its fiery bright colors.

Bougainvilleas or Guhanameyas are evergreen where rainfall occurs all year, or deciduous if there is a dry season as in Egypt of course. The actual flower of the plant is small and generally white, but each cluster of three flowers is surrounded by three or six bracts (leaves in fancy botanical language) with the bright colors associated with the plant, including pink, magenta, purple, red, orange, white, or yellow. Bougainvillea glabra is sometimes referred to as "paper flower" because the leaves are thin and papery.

Bougainvillea are rapid growing and flower all year in warm climates, especially when pinched or pruned. They grow best in moist fertile soil. Bloom cycles are typically four to six weeks. Bougainvillea grow best in very bright full sun and with frequent fertilization, but the plant requires little water to flower.

[1] Sunset Western Garden Book, 1995:606–607

The Plan....

Now that I am definitely excited about the prospects, I'll try to blog about a certain flower, tree or bush of my choice each day. I will do it based on my need, or better yet, my urge to learn more about the specific plant. That is why I will not start in any organized, alphabetical, by category or family plant sort of way.

But, my promise to you is that once I gather enough information about say 20 of the most popular varieties in Egypt, I will start categorizing them in a more professional way. For now though, I'm your typical whatever comes to mind blogger.

I will add and edit entries as I go and hope to start getting feedback from all readers and garden amateurs. Your comments, ideas and feedback are very important, so please just post them.

Why Gardening Egypt?

I finally decided to start writing down all I know about gardening in Egypt. I have lived most of my adult gardening life in Seattle Washington and have moved back to Egypt three years ago.

Since the day I arrived, I was amazed at how little people know about the subject, including professional nurseries. I started learning about all the different varieties through my research on the Internet, conversations with what I call amateur gardeners in nurseries, friends that are having the same questions and of course my parents who continue to be my everlasting source of information.

I am also a librarian, which means I never get sick of searching and researching for what I want. So far I have not found a single book about gardening in Egypt, not even your typical pocket book of pictures, names and basic planting tips. (Which by the way is exactly what I need)

So, I decided to start creating it!! With my general passion for gardening, knowledge of basic pruning, planting and care for plants of the Northwest and as little professional information I can lay my hands on here in Egypt; I am giving it a serious try.

I hope to see this project bloom into a more professional reference guide to all the amateur gardeners in Egypt. Especially my immediate family members who relentlessly keep trying to Garden Egypt using simple trial and error approaches.

So, here's to Egypt, its beautiful trees, bushes and flowers that are waiting to be discovered!!!