Tibouchina ‘Little Beauty’

Tibouchina 'Little Beauty' (Tibouchina 'Little Beauty') is the dwarf purple glory bush, holding at about 1.2m tall and 1m wide. That size is the whole point: the same saturated purple display on a shrub that fits a courtyard, a balcony pot or the front row of a border. It flowers heaviest through autumn, when most warm climate gardens have run out of colour.

Why you'll love it

• Purple you can see from the street. The flowers open in a dense flush over dark green foliage, and the colour is deep rather than washed out.
• It stays small without pruning. At 1.2m by 1m it needs shaping, not restraining, which is the difference between this and a full sized tibouchina.
• Made for pots. A 400mm to 500mm pot suits it, so balconies and courtyards get the display without a garden bed.
• Heat and humidity are no problem. It handles both, so it performs in tropical and subtropical gardens where many flowering shrubs sulk.
• Good for bees and butterflies. The open flowers are easy for pollinators to work.

Where it works best

Small gardens and borders. With a 1m spread, plants set about 800mm apart merge into a continuous low band of colour along a path or fence line.

Pots, balconies and courtyards. The compact habit makes it one of the better flowering shrubs for containers. Use quality potting mix and a pot at least 400mm across.

Feature planting. Group three beside an entry so the autumn flush reads as one block of purple rather than scattered spots.

Growing tibouchina in Australia

Position and climate. Full sun gives the heaviest flowering, though it accepts a few hours of afternoon shade in hot inland gardens. This is a tropical, subtropical and warm temperate plant and it is frost tender, so cold winter districts want a sheltered north facing wall or a pot that can be moved under cover.

Soil. Free draining and slightly acidic. Tibouchinas dislike lime and heavy wet clay, so dig compost through the bed or plant on a low mound. Mulch 50mm deep and keep it clear of the stem.

Water and feed. Water twice a week through the first summer and keep it evenly moist while flower buds are forming. Feed with a controlled release fertiliser suited to acid loving plants in early spring, then again in midsummer.

Pruning. Prune once, straight after the flowers finish. Take up to a third off to keep it tight and encourage the new wood that carries the next display. Pruning late in the year removes the coming flush.

What to expect when it arrives

This one is grown as tube stock, so plants arrive young and around 15cm to 25cm tall, usually single stemmed with a few side shoots. Tubes travel well and establish fast. Pinch the growing tips twice in the first season to build a bushy plant rather than a leggy one, and expect a modest first year with a proper display in the second.

Plants are packed upright and delivered Australia wide, with delivery from $29.95. Every plant is covered by our 30 day healthy plant guarantee.

Plant care guides and related reading

• Growing tibouchina: soil, feeding and pruning for heavy flowering
• More flowering shrubs sized for small gardens
• Plants that perform in pots and on balconies

Common questions

How big does it actually get?

About 1.2m tall and 1m wide in the ground, and often a touch smaller in a pot. It is a genuine dwarf selection, so it will not turn into the 4m shrub people know from older gardens.

Will it survive frost?

No, it is frost tender. In cold winter districts grow it in a pot you can shift under eaves, or plant it against a warm north facing wall and accept some leaf damage in a hard winter.

When and how hard should I prune it?

Immediately after flowering finishes, taking up to a third of the growth. That timing gives the plant a full season to build the new wood the next flush comes from.