Garden Club of Cape Coral | Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow
By CATHY DUNN
news@beezenewspapers.com
“Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow” (Brunfelsia grandiflora) is one of the most beautiful blooming shrubs that thrives in Southwest Florida. A member of the petunia subfamily (Petunioideae) of the nightshade family (Solanaceae), this plant is named for the ever-changing color of its blooms. Native to Brazil, Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia and Venezuela, the Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow belongs to the South American group of Brunfelsias. The flowers start out as a deep purple shade and then transition to lavender and finally turn white as they mature – with all colors present at the same time on the plant. This tropical evergreen shrub is a long, persistent bloomer and was supposedly one of Mina Edison’s favorite plants!
The plant blooms in the warm months of the year (fall through late spring) and will perform best if planted where it receives morning sun but afternoon shade. Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow is a moderate grower, but it will reach 8-10 feet. With pruning after the spring blooming period, the plant can easily be kept to a height of 4-8 feet. Since flowers occur on new growth, it’s important not to wait too long to prune your plant if you want a good show of blooms.
The heaviest bloom period is in spring, but the plant will also flower in the fall and sporadically in cooler weather. I have two Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow plants in my garden and this year they are in such full bloom that it’s hard to see the plant’s green leaves! The ground beneath the plants is covered in fallen blooms and neighbors are contacting me to ask what gorgeous plant is blooming in my garden! As an added bonus, the beautiful flowers are fragrant and release their scent at night.
The basic care needs of the Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow plant are simple. It thrives in moist acidic or alkaline soil but doesn’t require fertilizer. The plant may take up to two years to flower abundantly, and blooming can be encouraged with the use of a 6-8-10 fertilizer to supplement roots and blooming. The plant can tolerate some drought, but watering during the dry season will produce better blooms.
The Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow is an outstanding specimen plant, but it can also be used as a shrub border. Because it grows so large, it is not an ideal foundation plant for homes but can be used in plantings around large commercial buildings. If you are interested in planting a YTT, the Garden Shoppe at the Edison Ford Winter Estates usually has these beautiful plants in stock; otherwise, it can be difficult to find this specimen locally.
Be aware that all parts of this plant contain poisonous alkaloids which an be harmful to dogs, cats and horses. The berries are especially toxic. Brunfelsia is not listed as toxic to humans, however it is a nightshade plant and some people are allergic to members of this plant family.
Last fall in a plant propagating experiment, I harvested some green berries from one of my plants and dried them. Once I extracted the seeds, I planted them and raised more than a dozen plants that were donated to our annual March in the Park sale. Once established, the plants grew rather quickly in their pots and were ready to plant in the ground by late spring.
If you have space in your garden for a shade-loving plant, I can enthusiastically recommend the Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow shrub. It has proven to be a very low-maintenance, pest-free shrub for me with the beautiful advantage of dark green foliage year-round and the most unusual and beautiful tri-color bloom display imaginable! After seeing this specimen at the Edison Ford Winter Estates when I first moved to Southwest Florida, I am thrilled that I could incorporate this beauty in my garden.
Cathy Dunn is a Lee County Master Gardener volunteer, Garden Club of Cape Coral member and president of the James E. Hendry Hibiscus Chapter. Visit GardenClubofCapeCoral.com. Like them on their Facebook page.