The leaves of moderate-growing princess flowers are 2- to 6-inches long and 1- to 1 1/2-inches wide. Its flowers are 3- to 5-inches wide and a deep, vibrant purple. In the right climate, princess flower can produce blooms year-round, especially if it is deadheaded to encourage the formation of more flower buds. Its fruit is a small brown capsule, less than 1/2-inch long. Use princess flower as a specimen plant or for borders and foundations, it’s best to plant it in the spring. Princess flower has a natural round or vase-shaped growth habit, and it is quite tall when mature. Many gardeners prefer to prune it to control its size and shape it into a more compact form.
Light
The princess flower prefers full sun but can tolerate partial shade, provided it still receives at least five hours of direct sunlight each day. In fact, if you are in a particularly hot area, it’s a good idea to provide some shade.
Soil
Your princess flower will appreciate damp, rich soil. While the plant does need regular watering, it’s important that the soil drains well: Princess flower can experience root rot if the soil is soggy. This plant prefers a slightly acidic soil, which can be provided through soil amendments such as peat moss, or by feeding it with an acid fertilizer.
Water
Princess flower is somewhat tolerant of drought but does best when regularly watered. Unless it’s very hot, weekly watering is sufficient (no more than 1 inch of water per week, through a combination of rainfall and irrigation). Be careful to avoid overwatering, as very wet soil can injure the plant.
Temperature and Humidity
Princess flower is a tropical plant and cannot tolerate a real frost: It will die back once a frost hits unless it’s in a container that can be brought inside.
Fertilizer
It’s best to fertilize your princess flower each spring, summer, and fall. You can use fertilizer intended for acid-loving plants such as rhododendron or azalea, but your plant will also appreciate a bit of manure. Mulching will help your princess flower to retain moisture.
Pruning
Like most shrubs, princess flower should be pruned to remove dead or damaged branches whenever you spot them. Beyond this, pruning is usually done to maintain a rounded shape or to train it into standard if you prefer a tree shape. Any pruning is best performed immediately after the shrub finished blooming. Pinching off new growth will encourage branch formation and make the shrub fuller.
Propagating Princess Flower
You can propagate princess flower by rooting softwood cuttings: Cut 4-inch lengths of soft green stem, making the cut just below a leaf node. Remove the leaves from the bottom half of the stem, then dip the ends into rooting hormone. Plant the cutting into a container filled with a seed-starter mix, then cover the container with a large plastic bag or plastic dome. Place the cutting in a bright area out of direct sunlight, with temperatures between 65-75 degrees Fahrenheit. Open the bag or remove the dome daily to mist the soil and cuttings. After 10 to 12 weeks, the cutting should be sufficiently rooted so that it can be potted up or planted in an outdoor garden location.
How to Grow Princess Flower From Seed
Princess flower is easy to plant from seed. If you’ve collected those seeds yourself, keep them in the fridge in a paper bag till it’s time for spring planting. In a shallow seed tray, pour 2 inches of seed-starting potting mix. Moisten. Plant the seeds 1-inch apart, covering them with a thin layer of soil. Cover the container with a plastic bag, and set in a bright (but not directly sunny) area that won’t get chilled. When seedlings are 2-inches tall, they can be replanted.
Potting and Repotting Princess Flower
Note the size of the princess flower plant that you want to repot, and size your container no more than 1-2 inches larger than the one your plant is currently residing in. Create a potting mix with peat-based soil and perlite, sand, or vermiculite, and wet it well. Scoop 1 to 2 inches of this potting mix into the bottom of your container, then place your princess flower on top. Be very gentle with this flower’s roots! Fill in the rest of the pot with your potting mix, then prune the flower stems with a clean gardening shear.
Overwintering
Because they’re tropical plants for tropical climates, if you want to keep your princess flower from dying back you can try bringing it indoors for the winter. One option is to cut a potted plant back to about 8 inches and keep it in the garage or basement. If you do keep the plant in the dark, water it only enough to keep it from drying out. After the last frost date has passed, it can be brought back outdoors.
Common Pests & Plant Diseases
Occasionally scale, nematodes, aphids, mealybugs, and geranium budworm may attack princess flower. To manage these, you can introduce beneficial insects such as ladybugs, or spray your plant using insecticidal soap or horticultural oil. Mushroom root-rot can occur if a princess plant is kept in soggy soil. To avoid this problem, water no more than once a week and check to be sure that your plant is not receiving too much rain. Never water a princess flower shrub is if it already receiving adequate weekly rainfall.
How to Get Princess Flower to Bloom
Princess flower is a year-round bloomer, providing beautiful deep purple blooms. To promote it to bloom more flowers, simply deadhead or remove the spent flowers on the plant. This flowering shrub enjoys full sun throughout the day, or in hotter climates, it tolerates around five to six hours per day—proper lighting will bring on larger leaves and more blooms. Ensure that the soil is kept moist, not soaked, and if you see the top of the soil is dry, give it water, as these plants bloom better if it gets adequate watering.
