Tibouchina, Glory Flower, Princess Flower 'Athens Blue'

I have enjoyed two Tibouchina urvilleana 'compacta' for several years. When the roof of our house was replaced, these plants took a seve...Read Morere beating. I decided to prune them back (the nursery actually suggested that they thrive with pruning), and this year they are breathtakingly beautiful! All this to say, if you would like lots of new growth, or maybe reshape the plant, pruning will accomplish that.

It does not do well in full sun . The leaves get burn . I have this plant in a pot in Partial Shade.

I live in Sacramento,Ca. , . My princess flower has gone through 2 winters with some dead stems that I cut off.Still thriving and about 3...Read More foot tall.I think this winter I might try a small set of miniture christmas lights to ward off the frost.

While it is not hardy in Zone 5, T. "Athens Blue" is a wonderful storable tropical. Stored before serious frost, in the dark, at about 4...Read More5 degrees, it will defoliate but be ready to sprout new growth on the branches in the spring. The tricky consideration is that the new growth is very frost tender. The appropriate response is to keep it inside till June, either in the very cool storage, or in some sort of conservatory. This is not as much of a problem as it might seem because the bloom comes at the end of the summer or even later, in loose clusters at the end of every healthy branch. The display is generous, but for most of the summer it will just be a noteworthy foliage plant. If the fall is long and mild, you will see some pleasing leaf color changes.

The one I got last spring was outside too early. After the frost damage, the store gave it to me as unsaleable. There were further difficulties over the summer so that it is only just now blooming in my greenhouse.