Plant Library

Other Names:  Silver Leaf Princess Flower, Glory Bush

Description:

This large shrub or small tree produces stunning royal purple flowers in summer and fall, and may bloom year round in warm climates; well branched habit makes it a great container plant, indoors or out; can be trained as a small accent tree

Ornamental Features

Silver Leaved Princess Flower features showy deep purple round flowers at the ends of the branches from mid summer to late fall. The flowers are excellent for cutting. It has attractive silver-variegated forest green foliage which emerges light green in spring. The textured oval leaves are highly ornamental and remain forest green throughout the winter.

Landscape Attributes

Silver Leaved Princess Flower is an open multi-stemmed evergreen shrub with an upright spreading habit of growth. Its average texture blends into the landscape, but can be balanced by one or two finer or coarser trees or shrubs for an effective composition.

This shrub will require occasional maintenance and upkeep, and is best pruned in late winter once the threat of extreme cold has passed. It is a good choice for attracting butterflies to your yard. It has no significant negative characteristics.

Silver Leaved Princess Flower is recommended for the following landscape applications;

• Mass Planting
• Hedges/Screening
• General Garden Use
• Container Planting

Planting & Growing

Silver Leaved Princess Flower will grow to be about 10 feet tall at maturity, with a spread of 6 feet. It has a low canopy with a typical clearance of 2 feet from the ground, and is suitable for planting under power lines. It grows at a medium rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live for 40 years or more.

This shrub does best in full sun to partial shade. It prefers to grow in average to moist conditions, and shouldn't be allowed to dry out. It is not particular as to soil pH, but grows best in rich soils. It is somewhat tolerant of urban pollution. Consider applying a thick mulch around the root zone in winter to protect it in exposed locations or colder microclimates. This species is not originally from North America.

Silver Leaved Princess Flower makes a fine choice for the outdoor landscape, but it is also well-suited for use in outdoor pots and containers. Its large size and upright habit of growth lend it for use as a solitary accent, or in a composition surrounded by smaller plants around the base and those that spill over the edges. It is even sizeable enough that it can be grown alone in a suitable container. Note that when grown in a container, it may not perform exactly as indicated on the tag - this is to be expected. Also note that when growing plants in outdoor containers and baskets, they may require more frequent waterings than they would in the yard or garden.