I bought a Tibouchina in Charleston this past spring and it did great in one of my beds. After reading up on this plant, I don't think it will overwinter in the ground here in Columbia, SC and I don't know what to do. Take cuttings and root them now? Dig it up and throw in garage, or put in pot and treat as a houseplant until spring? Anyone have this plant? What are you going to do?
Care of Tibouchina grandiflora over the winter
I have 2 Tibouchina's that have been blooming since August, but I don't think they're cold hardy here in the midlands. I plan to root many cuttings and heavily mulch the remainder of the plants by covering with dirt, pinestraw, and black plastic.
Donna, you have a Tibouchina urvilleana. I think bwood is talking about the "other" princess flower that isn't hardy.
I have both and bring the grandiflora in the greenhouse for the winter, when my tropical hibiscus come in. That being said, it does grow quite easily from cuttings. The parent plant will be bushier if you trim it, so i trim when I bring it in and then have cuttings to use in trades come Spring.
Barb.
You're right, Barb. I realized my mistake just this afternoon when I checked the DG plantfile page to find the proper pronunciation of Tibouchina Grandiflora, and immediately realized it was a different cultivar, and that I was mispronouncing Tibouchina. (I so wish I had studied Latin instead of French back in the day.) Sorry about the mix up, bwoodbaba, and thanks for the clarification, Barb. BTW, how's your mule palm doing?
This message was edited Nov 2, 2011 7:36 PM
I've done it before myself! Only reason I immediately knew what it was is that I have both plants.
My T. urvilleana is covered in buds right now. I have it in a pot since I can't figure out where to plant it. Perhaps one of my gardens will mysteriously expand over the winter and come Spring, voala! Space to plant it!
Barb
Oops! Mule palms - doing fine. I've had to pot them up once this year and might have to again. I'm still keeping them in for the winter.
Sounds like they're developing vigorous root systems - always a good sign! I plan to get one this spring and keep it in containers until it's too heavy to move. Still hoping my T. urvilleana is root hardy here with lots of protection, and still plan to root a couple dozen. ;) Thanks for the update, Barb.