Princess Flower Bud

Princess Flower Bud

Tibouchina urvilleana

(tib-OO-kee-nuh) (ur-VIL-ah-nuh)

(syn. Glory Flower)

Glory Bush

Glory Bush

Tibouchina lepidota 'Ecuador Princess'

(tib-OO-kee-nuh) (lep-PID-oh-tuh)

This flower certainly has a rich purple color. It was much different from the Tibouchinas we usually grow, which have kind of a more washed out magenta purple flower. The flower contrasted nicely with the glossy, skinny foliage. This plant is hardy to USDA Zone 8 and is more compact growing than most Tibouchina. The final size of 2-4 feet tall and wide makes it suitable for container cultivation.

Well it has been glorious to be outside and have the miracle of spring washing over me. The daffodils, crocus, cherry trees, and even the magnolias are starting to blossom. All you gardeners know what I am speaking of. The smell of decay in the garden has been replaced with a much more pleasant smell.

“He smelled cold water and cold intrepid green. Those early flowers smelled like cold water. Their fragrence was not the still perfume of high summer; it was the smell of cold, raw green.”

Paul Harding

Hardy Chrysanthemum

Hardy Chrysanthemum
Chrysanthemum 'Venus'
(kris-AN-the-mum)

Yesterday I got out to the Bartlett Arboretum and Gardens in Stamford. It is designated as the Connecticut State Arboretum. We used to play around there when I was a kid and lived up the street. Things haven’t changed much there in all that time although it looked like they had cleaned out some of the gardens and were starting some building construction. I didn’t have a lot of time and most of the garden had been cut back for the season. This Hardy Chrysanthemum was still blooming and had a tag. The delicate pink around the petal points was nice. Its funny since I now live about 45 minutes north of the garden how much the fall foliage was different. Much more advanced to the north.

Here is a bonus flower since it is Sunday. See more flowers from all over the world at Today’s Flowers .


Large-leaf Princess Flower
Tibouchina grandiflora
(tib-OO-kee-nuh) (gran-dih-FLOR-uh)
Synonyms: Glory Flower

This was still blooming at Bartlett, which puts out a large and interesting collection of tropical plants each year. This plant is always a nice addition to the garden and can grow fairly large by the end of the season. We have not had any luck over wintering it in the greenhouse but that wouldn’t stop me from trying to do it again.

Daphne, was kind enough to give me a link on her Rose Gathering site. It is a great reference tool when looking for information on roses.
Rose Gathering.com

Large-leaf Princess Flower (Tibouchina grandiflora)

Large-leaf Princess Flower
Tibouchina grandiflora
Synonyms: Glory Flower

The color of this flower immediately caught my attention. It is striking and not quite faithfully reproduced by my trusty camera. There is just something, to me, about rich purple flowers. I have grown the Princess Flower (Tibouchina urvilleana) before and seen it growing outdoors in warmer areas but I hadn’t seen this one before. I would characterize it was a smaller more intense Princess Flower. I don’t understand the scientific name of this plant. Grandiflora would indicate large flowers but they are actually smaller than most Tibouchina. That may need looking into and I did find a website that said this plant maybe a form of T. heteromalla. I guess it doesn’t matter because the flower and velvety dark green foliage are beautiful and that is what matters.



This plant is hardy to USDA Zone 9 and can get up to 12 feet tall. This particular specimen was growing in a greenhouse and looked very healthy but my attempts to over winter the Princess Flower in the Conservatory at work ended miserably. That was probably my fault if anyone knows any tricks let me know. I would love to start with a large plant in the spring as opposed to getting a new smaller one each spring.

I have been posting a lot of Black and White photography and people have been kind in their assessment of it. I am pretty happy with some of the photos but want to get better at it. Maybe a few black and white flowers. They would have be the right ones in order for that to work. This picture is of the Whitney Museum in Manhattan. It is right across the street from Grand Central Terminal (which a corner of is reflected in the window if you look real hard). When I saw it I knew it would be a good picture but no matter what I tried I couldn’t get the perspective distortion out of it. I shot this with the Coolpix 8400 with the lens at a 24mm equivalent. I took some pictures then went over to GCT to get a cup of coffee and head into the Subway when I accidentally deleted them so it was back across the street for a reshoot. That never seems to work out well for me.



After 3 days of super intensive gardening work my body feels a little beat up. It doesn’t bounce back quite the way it used to. Oh well, I got a lot done and it was exciting. It is back into the trenches today as I tackle a half acre of Purple Joe Pye Weed, it has got to go!

Princess Flower
Tibouchina urvilleana
(tib-OO-kee-nuh) (ur-VIL-ah-nuh)
(syn. Glory Flower)

This flower has been very frustrating to photograph. That is contrary to its easy, free flowering cultivation. Since it is not hardy I am growing it in a container and have been trying to get a picture of the flower all season. Not everyday or anything like that but enough times that I was beginning to think I wouldn’t get one. I did something that I do when I have trouble photographing a subject. I used the preset sport mode on my D70s. It has a fast shutter with a shallow depth of field so I gave it a try and came up with this picture. I used my 60mm Micro-Nikkor lens. I usually use Aperture Priority and set the depth of field and let the camera set the shutter speed it seems a little smarter than me most of the time. I am manually focusing about 90% of my shots.

The Princess flower is a great addition to any garden. I saw it growing outside in Northern California and it really looked good. I have not had a lot of disease or insect problems and it has produced a lot of flowers through all phases of the season. Its velvety dark green foliage is nice too. I am going to try and take it in again this year. Two years ago I had a pair that I tried to over winter in the greenhouse but they didn’t have a regular watering schedule and didn’t make it. For a while inside it bloomed and grew nicely so that gives me a little hope. If it doesn’t make it I will get a new one next year so people will keep asking me what is that beautiful purple plant.

“Die when I may, I want it said by those who knew me best that I always plucked a thistle and planted a flower where I thought a flower would grow.”
Abraham Lincoln