Tibouchina organensis - Garden Position ???

Hello my fellow Californians!

Can anyone tell me just how much sun/shade Tibouchina organensis needs to do well? I love this plant so much & I have a spot that is just screaming out for a Tibouchina with all of it's gorgeous purple, orange and red but it only gets afternoon sun and that for about 3 hours at the moment. At the height of summer it gets it for about another hour before being filtered by a large tree and it can get fairly hot (well, too hot for me!). I think it's classified as part-sun. The soil conditions are great; slightly acidic, retains water, rich in organic matter. Would this site be suitable? It's such a difficult area to fill - it's right by a patio so needs to look good almost all year round and has got to handle take being fried on a summer afternoon :-(

Any help will be much appreciated!

I live in Venice, I grow T.heteromalla it is in the front of my house facing North/West,gets afternoon shade.I have friends 2 Canals down,theirs face South/West and get sun all day.Theirs bloom more heavily than mine do.
I have friends on the Grand Canal,their T.organensis gets full sun all day long.Looks Fantastic! The T.organensis in other areas of the Canals with less sun don't look as good.However it rarely gets above 90* here.

This message was edited Oct 12, 2007 10:35 AM

Normally I would say part sun would be fine, but unfortunately sun during the hottest part of the afternoon is less than ideal (I have this wonderful situation in a good portion of my yard, and I typically grow full sun plants there since they're the only ones I've found can handle sun in the heat of the day) You're probably a little cooler than I am in the summer, but I had mine in the afternoon sun section of my yard (~3 hrs of PM sun) and it got fried this summer (it was dead way before we hit the hot spell in August, so temps hadn't even been that hot and it still died). They're also not as hardy as the more common T. urvilleana and T. heteromalla so I don't trust them to make it through the winter either, I kept mine in my greenhouse last year (I had a couple the year before, and it didn't make it through the winter even though it was on a sheltered patio that never got below 35. I'm not sure if it was the cold that got it, or if I maybe watered it a bit too much)

Overall I've found that while T. organensis is stunningly beautiful, it is more temperamental than the other Tibouchinas, so I won't be buying it again (plus I've killed it 3 times now, and I have a 3 strikes and you're out rule, once I've killed something 3 times I'm not allowed to buy it anymore!)

I know Kell's grown this one too so hopefully she'll jump in here and share her experience (she and I both got ones around the same time last year, and I think hers died too but I can't remember what exactly happened to it)

3 times, ecrane???!!! Thats keen, although completely understandable in the case of T. organensis.

It is normally much more moderate over here. We have a thermometer near this particular spot that typically reads in the high 80's or low 90's in summer but this summer was particularly cool for us. The August heat wave was very welcome. Well, you've convinced me that it wouldn't be a good choice for the spot. Boo hoo. However, since I love it T.organensis so much I may have to get one anyway and grow it in a pot in a different location. Back to the Plantfiles for me then..... sigh....

So you don't already have it? They're tricky to find sometimes, only place I've ever seen them is Magic Gardens in Berkeley, and they don't have them very often (although now is the time of year they usually have them if they're going to). If you get one, I'd keep it in a pot for a while and try it out in a few different places, they don't die instantly or anything so you can tell if the leaves are starting to get crispy it's time to move it. I just didn't have anywhere else to put it, the other places I could have put mine got morning sun as well as afternoon sun, so they would have been even worse! I only have one shadyish spot, and it's a place where I didn't have any other containers so I would have never remembered to water it. I may just have a brown thumb with them too, I've had trouble with a number of the less common Tibouchina species--I seem to pick some up every year at plant sales, but then they always die within a year. Only ones I've managed to keep alive are urvilleana, heteromalla, and granulosa.

LOL, no I don't already have it. I am trying to be *good* and research plants more and impulse shop less. I'm guilty of buying plants and not getting around to planting them, then they die or become terribly rootbound which leads to my DH giving me "the look". Thanks for the info on Magic Gardens. I do like that nursery a lot. I did think I would probably have to search for an online vendor and have one shipped.

I've never seen one at any online nurseries, only place I've ever run across it was Magic Gardens. I'm sure there are other places you can get it too, I've just never found one (and believe me, I do a lot of plant shopping...locally and online!)

http://www.plantdelights.com/ For T.organensis try here-
http://www.ggg-gruenewald.com/index2.php?lang=AM&t=startseite

This message was edited Oct 14, 2007 9:51 PM

I browse around at PDN all the time, I've never seen them offer anything but T. urvilleana. I also looked at the ones on that German site, and although they mention organensis in the title line when you do a search for tibouchina, the pics all look like T. urvilleana cultivars as well. I doubt if they'd ship to the US anyway.

They shipped plants to me.Send an IM and tell them what you're looking for.

Really? I always figured those international places wouldn't ship here. Even if they did have T. organensis though, I'm not allowed to buy it anymore since I've killed it three times, and if I broke my rule I'd drive up to Berkeley and see if Magic Gardens had it first. I might have to browse around and see what else they have though! Was the shipping cost really ridiculous?

I don't remember what the shipping was,I will look at my records this weekend and see.Also T.organensis is the most common var. planted here in the canals.Today while I'm walking the dog I'll get cuttings as well.It will take a couple of months to root them but this is how I acquired the heteromalla.I love liquid rooting hormone.
Oh,I order Azomite from a place in GrassValley,CA. and to ship a 44.5 lb. bag to Venice costs $12.00.I order a lot of seeds from France,England,S.Africa and their shipping is either the same or less than shipping from the east coast in the states.

Ooohhh, thanks for those links Zebraman. Just what I need - more plant sites to drool over. LOL Did you see the picture on the German site of the Tibouchina - Royal Dreams Paradise Princess? Wow, what beautiful flowers with the black centre. Lucky you to be able to take cuttings from your neighbours gardens.

ecrane - you might have to browse around if you went to to Magic Gardens? ROFL

Oh--I guess my message was a bit garbled. I meant I'd have to go back to the German site and browse around to see what else they have if they'll ship to the US. Of course I'd browse around at Magic Gardens, no need to even mention it!

Hey Guys;Let me clarify that.I took cuttings to root them and I'll send them to you.If you can afford postage fine and if you can't thats OK too.I personally like the heteromalla and I don't have the room for both.

That is so nice of you! I guess if I'm getting cuttings for postage, then it's not violating my killing something 3 times rule, I'm pretty sure when I made up that rule, I meant that I wasn't allowed to buy the plant anymore, but if someone gives it to me then that's totally different! I'd be more than happy to pay you for postage--I'd offer to send you something as a trade too but I'm in the quarantine zone for the stupid apple moth so I can't send anything anywhere.

That is so nice of you! Thank you so much Zebraman. I would be more than happy to send postage and maybe there are some seeds you would like?