While the Princess Flower is native to Brazil, it seems to do better in Oregon than it does in Southern California. The plant needs sun to flower abundantly, but in Southern California it can start to dry out and wither if not frequently watered. I guess moisture is more important than temperature for this plant.

They do better in SF then in Hayward,but this is a nice one. Terrible photo from yesterday.

Wow! Gorgeous!!!

They do VERY well here in PNW-ish California...I haven't grown any since many years ago in the Bay Area. Don't think I will be growing any here, wouldn't exactly look right with the other stuff I've got going ...maybe later as things mature and change

I've always liked those, for the foliage as much as the shade of purple of the flowers. Unfortunately, they don't like growing here very much and usually look ratty. That is a nice specimen. Stan's, too. Quite a show.

There are a bunch flowering around here now, I'll have to drag my little camera around. That one was just standing there shouting,, "me, me, me!"

Beautiful! I've always liked these, but I've not been successful with them. About the 4th try, I stopped buying them. A friend in Ventura was able to grow them there.

And here I could grow them, but it's a bit frou-frou for what I have going right now...figures, huh?

But it is to your credit that you realize that this plant does not fit into your design without throwing the rest out of balance. Lucky you to be able to enjoy them in the neighborhood, though.

LOL....I'm almost 70, we do eventually get smarter. The Tibouchina would go well with Stan's mention of Baby's Tears in my mind. I came up here thinking all PNW type stuff and I did plant maples, then I realized that my much loved cistus would grow well here, then a friend who loves everything Aussie would give me this and that, then well, what about those melaleucas? Well, sure, I'll take those...Embothrium? sure....and one heck of a lot of grasess, because my heart belongs with the grasses...and there are so many things that I love that look good with the grasses, but won't blend well with the other stuff.....sigh...how can I fit in those wild looking helianthus angustifoliums? You know...limited yard, unlimited wants....what about the Silphiums? on and on...

You know...limited yard, unlimited wants....

Don't I know that feeling! I've mastered understory plantings, and having plants growing intertwined, because land is at a premium here. It especially hurts because there are patches where I have trouble getting plants to grow. Even the Westringia 'Mundi' is on life support. But the Dorycnium seems to be doing ok.

I can't 'understory' much until my trees are grown and then the looks of everything will change with more shade also. I went from 1 1/2 acres and over 175 trees to a small city lot of flat nothing....but I could no longer take care of anything larger either...or water...and I'm having fun with new things.

I've been out watering, and I think, with a different perspective, I could use a tibouchina or two....LOL...

I will restrain myself, however, I do have a lot of other items to plant first....we shall see. I think that has become my mantra..."We Shall See".......Love Westringias...hmmmm...

These post is getting funny with the realities of gardeners: wants, and how to rationalize fitting in a plant in a particular scheme or space, lol! Went to Lowe's yesterday and spotted a Tibouchina in a pot, but I didn't approach it. Also saw a Manilla mango that I almost put in my cart. It had a year's growth, but I figured I might not get any fruit anytime soon. I have lots of dried leaves/branches on my plants/trees due to the high heat and drought so it's best if I don't add any other plants until the situation changes. It's hard to refrain oneself!

I would have had to get that mango! We first moved to Fallbrook 30-some years ago and rented a house for the first year...and the guy next door (who now has been a rare fruit grower for all these years) had an old Mango tree that got excellent fruit. Our elderly neighbor for years in Fallbrook grew avos, cherimoya, sapote and papaya, persimmons, but had no mangos...I never did ask him why not. I hear that some do well and some don't....yes, we garden geeks want it all! I find it funny to see a few big old Canary Palms up here, they do lookk out of place when I was expecting maples and such. You have the garden people here who want all that is exotic to them...when I started planting here, the young man next door was quick to tell me about his friend who sells Palms...LOL...had to tell him that thank you, but I'm really not interested in palms....

It's hard to resist acquiring more plants; I might still get the mango. I had one in a 5 gal. pot that gave me one fruit (it was good), but then it died. It might had survived in the ground, but with gophers, I wasn't sure.

If I had one that gave me at least one fruit, like yours did, and you knew it was a good one, I would have to try to get that same variety again and get it in the ground. I've had gophers for over 30 years and I plant everything vulnerable in chicken wire

wcgypsy, do chicken wire baskets really help? I've read that gophers can get in through the holes in chicken wire.

I've planted in Chicken Wire for over 35 years. I do not like to.....it takes time to make them, it ads to your cost, but my plants that would otherwise be eaten by gophers are protected. I've found, for me anyway, that years after that wire would have rusted through, either the roots are large enough and tough enough that the gophers were no longer interested and gave up. I would be hesitant with fig trees and roses, on their list of favorite foods, but I've planted Souvenir de la Malmaison, Sally Holmes, Cecile Brunner, Golden Showers, Gertrude Jekyll in wire and those have lived to ripe old ages in chicken wire. I'm assuming they are still alive after years unless the woman who bought that property from us 2-3 years ago has quit watering...I always check before planting anything as to its gopher vulnerability and if it needs wire, it gets wire, why would I plant something otherwise just to feed those d*** gophers?

hehehehehe...truly, our property in SoCal was Gopher City and I planted zillions of plants, nothing in wire was ever eaten.

wcgypsy, thanks for the info on wire baskets; I'll give it a try. I caved in and bought the Manila Mango at Lowe's yesterday :-)

Yay! If I could grow it here, I'd go get one also.....I form my wire baskets by cutting to size needed and rolling / forming it into a cylinder, with the cut ends of each wire looping / back through to 'lock' the cylinder, then bottom folded to make the bottom enclosed...that is not said well, I realize...LOL...probably the way you would do it anyway....

You can grow them along the coast- almost to the beach. Only,you need to grow them in a small greenhouse. People do it Gyps. Cover it,prune it to fit as they do well,and no worry about heating in winter..no frost close to the coast and they go as dormant or lethargic as they do in San Diego in DEC-JAN.

One thing about Mango? Even little bitty potted ones put out sweet fruit- better then the supermarket. Not many tropical trees can do that in California.

It does grow fine here, it just wouldn't LOOK right with my stuff....it's such a Diva, ya know? But maybe...just maybe I could plant it to blend with everything else. OTH, I have so much not yet in the ground and running out of room.....

That Tibou reminds me of a potted small Potato -Solanum- I saw potted like a Bonsai,with smaller leaves and smaller flowers.

I might go back and see if its still there. Rare isnt as important to me as good looking reliable color..plus I guess a dwarf Potato bush for container growing is a tiny bit rare-lol.

Yes, the ones pictured here locally (today) are a darker purple that I like more. I've never grown that solanum...so many plants....sigh...

Anyone in the Palm Coast - St. Augustine, Florida area who would like to trade plants and cuttings? Just planted dwarf tibuchinas in my partial shade garden. Found them at Home Depot, nice size! Already filled out and blooming like crazy! I've got some lovely purple and yellow bearded isises, Devil's backbone, elephant ear, purple pothos, gorgrous red and yellow tall cannas, Looking for angel trumpet/Brugmansias, - want it badlly! Plumbago, gingers. Full shade and full sun perennials . BLUE GIRL and Angel Face ROSE.. Please contact at Rhonda9080@yahoo.com :)

Try the Florida Gardening Forum, Rhonda.

I had a princess flower plant. In sun it required a lot of water, especially in heat, otherwise it got baked and turned brown. In the shade, it wasn't able to get enough sun and grew very weakly, barely put out any blooms.

Maybe it should be planted in a spot with partial shade or mostly morning sun.

I think it would do better in a cooler climate like the Bay Area.