The well-known Purple Wild Tibouchina, Dissotis princeps, is a neat, compact easy-to-grow shrub with purple flowers; a white form is available and, though difficult to source, is worth looking out for to create a spectacular show from January through to October. Plants grow to between 1.5 and 2.5 m high. The Dissotis needs moist conditions to thrive and is an excellent choice as a backdrop to the garden pond. Blue-green leaves are softly velvet to the touch, with an attractive pale green to whitish colour on the undersides. Old leaves turn red. Short, bristly hairs cover the entire plant. Large flowers cluster at the branch tips from mid-summer to autumn in the Western Cape and in winter, spring and summer in summer rainfall regions. Flowers are buzz-pollinated by the carpenter bee. Perfect for areas of the garden that are permanently damp, or that dry out in winter. Prune untidy, woody plants to ground level; they will shoot strongly in the spring. Prune frost damaged plants once danger of frost is over.