Mark, it looks like she's just adding some fluff to the nest.

I don't think you'll have any problem trading your Tibouchina cuttings, especially if they're already rooted. If they aren't rooted, they aren't difficult to root if you put them on a heating mat.

I think Smoky Mist wanted your Cobea scandens plant, per the plant trading forum. She's a great person to trade with.

Hi kayjones,

I just sent you a private response that I meant to be public.

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Thanks for the info. The Tibouchina has beautiful leaves, and is one of those plants that looks great even not in bloom. Assuming my sister wants her plant severely cut back I'll probably save a few, root them and put those up for trade (postage, whatever) or add them to existing trades. I may send the rest, after they barely get roots, to one or more others to deal with. If I prune back hard it looks like about 30 cuttings, maybe.

I'll email smokymist. I can't tell from her list whether she has the sort(s) of things I'm looking for--space really limits me to (mostly) houseplants at this point. I suspect it might make sense to send her cuttings and rooted cuttings of a greater variety of things I grow, along with a rooted cutting of the Cobaea. I will start some today. I'll communicate with her and we can figure out what works best.

Cut back the Silver-leaf glorybush in March or early April when the rainy season is definitely over. Make pruning cuts 1/2-inch above the "knuckles" of leaf scars lower down on the stems.

Then, relocate the plant to a sunny, warm location (is this a potted plant?), and increase watering to maintain an evenly moist (not soggy) soil. Once leaves are popping out from the stems, then apply a light fertilizer application.

FYI> Tibouchina heteromalla is the legitmate botanical name for the plant. It's been (for decades) marketed and sold/discussed and written in magazines, etc. as Tibouchina grandifolia and T. grandiflora (both aren't acceptable botanical names).