I've just bought a couple of E. Bowles Mauve, mainly on the strength of what I've read, but has anyone grown it, and does it actually live up to it's reputation for scent and floriferousness. Thanks.
Never noticed a smell. They look ok for the first year of two then they get woody and scraggy. Very easy to propagate. Just poke a cutting in a pot of compost and away it goes. I've gone right off them so they've all been composted bar one cutting that it seems a bit mean to destroy in its infancy.
I loved it for a while, but as someone else above said, I got sick of it in the end. It flowers for so long that familiarity breeds contempt. If you want a reliable flowerer, then go for it, although they can become quite large and outgrow their welcome in smaller spaces. Never noticed any smell from ours, but the bees liked it.
For a while😊 Especially if you like lilac coloured flowers. I must admit, I preferred the foliage - a bit like lavender. If it was going to grow it again, I would probably trim off the flowers. Enjoy it for a while, it's a very easy plant to grow and propagate. There's a yellow one with varigated leaves too. I have that away to someone who liked it.
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I've gone right off them so they've all been composted bar one cutting that it seems a bit mean to destroy in its infancy.