Well thank you!
The lavender I mean isn't the herb lavender. It's this here:
https://www.plantzafrica.com/plantnop/plectranmonlav.htm
It's a zone 9/10 plant, no scent, just neat, broad purple-bottomed, fuzzy-topped leaves, with lots of pretty purple flowers.
I have herb lavenders too - Provence grows very well here - I have tried a few other varieties but no such luck, they croak!
This is Tibouchina - https://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=TIBOU - I think you would like it with your other tropical plants - it's VERY easy to care for in a warmer climate. Cuttings take super-well - I could trim mine, stick the trimmed ends into the ground, and VOILA! New plants in no time. Mine hates this whole winter thing - I bring it inside, it threatens to die, and just about when it looks like it won't hang on any longer, Spring arrives and it starts to revive. By the time it looks good and is blooming beautifully again though... it's Fall. We're torturing it.
