Bougainvillea

Your lovely plant is bougainvillea, an impressive woody and thorny ‘vine’ or shrub bearing colorful bracts (the real flowers are the small inconspicuous white flowers in the center). A South American native, it does not tolerate much frost but is a fast-growing, vigorous plant that needs a sturdy support such as a trellis, wall or fence. Needs full sun and moderate water. Bougainvillea blooms best in nutritionally poor soils. They come in many different colors.
Bougainvillea are tropical and must be protected from frost. In Zone 8 and cooler, you are almost limited to growing them in some kind of container unless you treat them as an annual (plant a new plant outdoors each year), but you are in a mild winter region and do not have to worry about this. Bougainvillea thrives in full sun. At least 5 hours a day of direct sunlight is the minimal light required for good bloom. More hours of direct sun are better. Less than 5 hours and the plant may not bloom very well.