LIFESTYLE MAGAZINE

The plant can be distinguished by the shape of its leaves, which tend to be broad at the base and narrowly pointed at the tip. They also have a number of prominent veins along the length of the leaf-blade. The purple flowers, individually quite large, are arranged in small clusters of three to five and provide the main attraction.

It is a tall shrub, but quite tender, and is usually grown in pots when the plants are young. The older specimens can be grown on a trellis or a wall. The leaves, short-petioled, are arranged opposite one another. The individual flower has five irregularly round petals arranged in a slightly overlapping manner, giving the flower a flat appearance. The plant can be propagated by cuttings of semi-hard shoots. Although the plant can be propagated under greenhouse conditions during any part of the year, the best time for doing so is early spring. In winter the plant needs little attention, but it has to be watered frequently during summer. It prefers a light soil.

The flowers, predominantly deep blue from a distance, are as pure-looking as their dew-clad background on autumn mornings, when they are most freely produced. A closer view is even more rewarding, for it reveals the gorgeous combination of colors which’ are characteristics of the funnel-shaped corolla of each flowers. The pale yellow of the tubular portion provides a striking contrast to the deep blue of the five lobes and the orange of the throat. With the individual flowers appearing so very attractive, their display is greatly aided by a solitary rather than clustered arrangement.