Yesterday today and tomorrow plant

Growing in Pots, Balconies & Indoors

The yesterday-today-and-tomorrow plant (Brunfelsia pauciflora) is a tender shrub (1-3 m / 40-120 in) whose flowers fade from purple through lavender to white. It is not a houseplant, but it makes an excellent large-container plant for a sunny patio or balcony, and potting it lets you move it under cover to overwinter where winters are cold.

Quick Details

• Container Size: A roomy pot sized to the plant; pot up as the root ball fills
• Indoor Suitability: Not a houseplant – too light-hungry for a room; pot it mainly so it can be overwintered frost-free
• Best Spot: Full sun to half shade
• Soil & Drainage: Well-aerated, organic-rich mix (potting mix, or peat with perlite); must drain freely
• Watering in Pots: Average and evenly moist – pots dry faster than open ground; let water drain away

Indoors & On the Windowsill

• Houseplant limits: Grown for its flowers, it needs strong sun and will not thrive deep indoors.
• Overwintering: This is the main reason to pot it – in cold climates move the container somewhere bright and frost-free over winter and water sparingly until growth restarts.
• Safety: All parts, and especially the berries, are toxic if eaten and are particularly dangerous to dogs – keep it away from children and pets.

On a Balcony or Patio

• Light & wind: Give it the sunniest spot; it can grow tall, so shelter it from strong wind and stake if needed. Walls and paving reflect heat, so pots dry quickly – check moisture daily in warm weather.
• Practicalities: A large filled pot is heavy – make sure the balcony can take the weight and that drainage runoff will not be a nuisance below.

Choosing the Pot, Soil & Long-Term Care

• Pot & drainage: A roomy pot with strong drainage holes; skip a standing water saucer to avoid root rot. Terracotta breathes and dries faster, while glazed or plastic pots hold moisture longer.
• Potting mix: Aerated and organic-rich – potting mix, or peat with perlite.
• Feeding: Potted shrubs need feeding more often than those in the ground, as nutrients wash out with each watering – a balanced feed through the growing season.
• Repotting: Pot up as the roots fill the container, and every couple of years refresh the mix and lightly prune the root ball and top growth.

Bloom & Flower Guide

Quick Details

• Bloom Season: Spring and summer
• Time to First Bloom: Mature shrubs flush heavily in spring
• Flower Appearance: Fragrant, wrinkled, five-petalled flowers that open blue-purple and fade to lavender then white
• Edibility: None – Brunfelsia is poisonous (the berries and seeds especially) and is particularly dangerous to dogs; no part should be eaten

Detailed Blooming Overview

This shrub earns its common name from a colour-change trick: each flower opens deep blue-purple (‘yesterday’), fades to pale lavender (‘today’), then to white (‘tomorrow’), so the bush shows all three shades at once. The blooms are sweetly fragrant, strongest in the evening.

Flower Characteristics

• Wrinkled, five-petalled, flat-faced flowers.
• Open blue-purple and fade through lavender to white.
• Sweetly scented, carried through spring and summer.

Bloom Care & Thinning

• Keeping it flowering: A light prune after the main flush and steady feeding encourage repeat bloom.
• Safety: Berries and seeds are toxic, especially to dogs – site the shrub with care.