Plant of the month | Tibouchina

Absolutely covered in violet/purple flowers throughout autumn to winter – Tibouchina makes a bold statement in any garden. A small evergreen tree, it grows to about 5 metres tall, can be pruned to form a more shrub-like shape and has a lovely light-coloured mottled trunk and branching habit with lots of character.  The most popular cultivar grown in Australia, it carries the name of the northern New South Wales town it was produced in. It affords an established look to Federation, Tropical and Asian themed gardens. A lovely tree that looks great with feature lighting shining up its trunk or carefully positioned to allow beams of sunlight to illuminate its flower display from behind. This is a low water use plant once established.

Botanical name:      Tibouchina lepidota ‘Alstonville’
Common name:       Alstonville Tibouchina
Family:                      Melastomataceae
Origin:                       South America – Namely Brazil