My tibouchina grandiflora is blooming. I bought it for the neat large leaves it has, but the bloom is quite lovely.
tibouchina grandiflora in bloom
Another shot.
Does anyone know how to you tell the difference between T. grandiflora and T. grandifolia? (if there is a difference).
Years ago I tried to ID mine on another gardening site and everyone disagreed on the 'flora vs.'folia part.
Mine is not blooming yet but it is full of buds and your pics have given me real encouragement - it'll be soon, it'll be soon :-))))
Good catch. There is a difference and I think what I have is grandifolia not flora.
Grandiflora or Melastoma polyantha :http://toptropicals.com/pics/garden/05/n5/5319.jpg
Grandifolia: http://www.kartuz.com/pc/66323/7RFPN/Tibouchina+grandifolia.html
rylaff thank you for starting this thread. I just ordered seeds for this very flower, for next year. Hope I have luck with it. It is so pretty. My goodness didnt know it got that big. Good I like big.
Oh good--another plant I need that will take freezes! Thanks for posting and contributing to my plant collection addiction. ;)
It does well here in full sun. Since it is not hardy we have to bring it inside. This is a fussy plant though, if growing in a pot, everytime something changes in its routine (watering, fertilising, pH, lighting) it can looses all its leave and have a pretty hard time. I manage to keep it by watering once in a while with a spoon of vinegar in the water and by putting under fluorescent lights when I bring it inside in the Fall.
What does the vinegar do, Zarcanat?
Tibouchina heteromalla has great leaves too! I depend on Tibouchina urvilleana for lots of purple color to my yard for most of the year. I just bought a pink one that I can't wait to see the blooms on.
Yours is gorgeous, Rylaff.
Wow Kell now where in the world did you get a pink one. I sure would like to have a cutting of that. Mine blooms all yr round. It has the same blooms yours does but smaller ablong leaves. Fran
Now, I have checked a book for trees and flowers for fla. and it dont have one listed like you said. One is Tibouchina Compacta which is a shrub it says and then the tree that grows to 25 ft if you can keep it alive that long.
It is called Tibouchina Granulosa or Purple Glory Tree.. Cant see the leaves on that one but I have seen the trees growning her and when they bloom they are really a sight to be seen. When we had the hurricanes it tore up the big tree not far from where I live but have seen others here and there. You must have something else..
Fran
I had a pink one--I bought it from Yuccado I believe where it was labelled as Tibouchina Hong Kong form, but when I got it the label also said Melastoma polyantha. And Kartuz sells a pink one labelled as Melastoma polyantha/Tibouchina grandiflora which I believe is very similar to the one I got from Yuccado. Whatever its proper name is, it looked very much like T. urvilleana except for having pink flowers instead of purple.
Yes, I got mine from Kartuz. I can't wait to see it bloom!
I loved the colour combination! Fantastic!
Kell, the vinegar helps in lowering the soil pH, Tibouchina likes it a little lower than most plants.
I am also enjoying my Tibouchina grandifolia which has been in bloom for a month now.
