Tibouchina grandiflora – Glory Bush
Vivid royal purple flowers born over a long period, over lush evergreen velvet leaves.
Habit:
This is a bush that grows up to 3M. It grows with a rather open habit that makes it vulnerable to break apart in strong winds and heavy rain. However, once established, it is vigorous and will recover to 2M in a single season even if cut to the ground.
Origins:
T. grandiflora is native to the rainforests and cool subtropical mountain highlands of Brazil. The original species has been hybridised and naturalised around the sub-tropical world and there are now a great variety of forms of flower and growth habit available, though all retain the evergreen velvet leaves.
Soil / Aspect:
This is one of those plants that does best with its feet in the shade and head in the sun. It prefers an acidic soil, such as you find in Karin’s Garden. T. grandiflora does not tolerate frost or poor drainage in winter.
Maintenance:
To maintain a compact shape it is important to lightly prune, or pinch out leading shoots, especially after a flush of flowers. Once a shrub becomes too large for its location it can be pruned back rather severely, even down to a stump, and soon will sprout new flowering stems in abundance.