purple showers ruellia

Where is this species invasive in the US. They are inexpensive, low maintenance, and drought-resistant. Mexican petunias can be started from seed, planting them inside several months before the growing season. Introducing "One Thing": A New Video Series. Shop our Amazon Affilate link to find all of our favorite garden products and support our channel. Details. If growing around an appliance, make sure you leave enough room on one side so it can be accessed for maintenance. The Mexican petunia (Ruellia brittoniana) is a beautiful addition to a flowering backyard retreat. In zones north of 8a it can be grown as an annual in flower beds or in containers that can be overwintered indoors. Ruellia ‘Purple Showers’ is a stalk-like plant that has long, skinny leaves. Seeds explosively dehisce. They can withstand shade and partial shade but will be less productive if planted in these areas. The Mexican petunia plant is a fast grower and is used successfully against block walls or to surround and camouflage unpleasant looking electrical boxes and air conditioning units. Tubular, petunia-like flowers (to 1.5”) bloom freely from the leaf axils from late spring to frost (sometime year round in USDA Zones 8-10) on greenish-purple stems clad with linear, willowy, sword-shaped, green leaves. Ruellia simplex, commonly called Mexican petunia or Texas petunia, is a vigorous, shrubby, woody-based, rhizomatous perennial that is grown as an annual north of USDA Zone 8. Use in a border, container, or at waterside. The wild form has purple flowers, and is native to Mexico, Western South America and the Antilles. It is a fast grower that may self-seed aggressively. To improve drainage in moist beds, consider adding a little sand to the mix. This three-foot-tall evergreen shrub bears many tubular, blue or purple, petunia-like flowers on dark stems over a long period. Product Description Ruellia is a very easy to grow shrub that reaches 3 to 4 ft in height with purple flowers that constantly bloom from Spring through the Fall. Purple Showers is sterile and produces no seed but spreads aggressively by roots. It spreads by seeds that can sometimes reach up to 10 feet away from the original plant, as well as through thin, underground roots called rhizomes. View gallery. Excellent annual flowering plant for areas where it is not winter hardy. As long as you follow a basic desert garden to-do list and keep to a conventional summer watering schedule, you should have no problem raising bushels of these purple blossoms. Ruellia simplex can be grown in either the shade or full sun, and is great for edging or mass plantings. General Description. Name: Ruellia Purple Showers Plant Type: shrub Height: 3’-5’ Width: 3’-5’ Light: full sun to part shade Salt: good salt tolerance Deer: will eat Zone: 8-11 Notes: A great plant to use in the landscape if used properly! The genus Ruellia encompasses about 300 species. Once you've taken your desired amount of cuttings, remove the buds, flowers, and lower leaves from the stems. For USDA Zones 8-10, it may be effectively grown in bog gardens, as a pond marginal, and in beds and borders. At this time, R. simplex is the preferred name because it has been determined that this was the name first given to this plant in 1870 when it was described in Cuba, and accordingly that name has priority. Mexican-petunia (also known as Mexican bluebell or Britton’s petunia) is described as a “hardy perennial edging plant for flower beds and as colorful groundcovers.” Scientific names include Ruellia brittoniana, R. coerulea and R. tweediana, but taxonomists now use the name Ruellia simplex, which was the first name used to describe this species. Looking like a cross between an ornamental grass and a flowering shrub, this hardy plant flowers every day when placed in a sunny location. There is also no major concern when it comes to pests. tall and blooms a purple flower all year long. While it seeds freely, keep in mind that some cultivars are sterile ('Purple Showers'), in which case they may spread by rhizomes. Leaves are often attractively marked as well. They're unique in that they're drought resistant and yet they also survive floods. Plants will spread by rhizomes and self-seeding in the garden, and have escaped gardens and aggressively naturalized in parts of the southeastern U.S. Mexican petunias do benefit from pruning, especially if they're grown as a hedge. Purple Showers Ruellia is quite adaptable to soil types and moisture levels but will produce the most flowers in a good garden soil with average moisture. While Mexican petunias will grow in a variety of soil types, they prefer to be planted in well-drained, fertile soil. Conifers Crape Myrtles Grasses Groundcovers Perennials Rose Shrubs Trees Vines. No serious insect or disease problems. Best flowering occurs in the deep South near the temperatures of its Mexican origin where flowers may appear from May to November, but sometimes year round. Producing bluish-purple blooms like flashes of light bulbs, the Mexican petunia (Ruellia brittoniana "Purple Showers") shrub provides striking flowers from late spring to early fall. Great Companions for RUELLIA 'PURPLE SHOWERS' Magnolia 'Elizabeth' Magnolia. While they do share this resemblance, the two plants are not closely related. This plant bears the name ‘Purple Shower’ because it … Flowering is very respectable but less frequent when plants are grown as annuals in northern gardens, but will typically bloom from May to September. Missouri Botanical Garden Plant of Merit. Mexican petunia is a vigorous (some say aggressive), shrubby, woody-based plant is that is easy to propagate by cuttings, division and seed. The Spruce / Autumn Wood How to Grow Mexican Petunias As a fast-growing shrub, they may need to be repotted more frequently than other plants. Ruellia, Desert Petunia, Florida Bluebells, Mexican Petunia, Mexican Blue Bells 'Purple Showers' Ruellia simplex. Each flower lasts for just one day. It typically grows to 3-4’ tall in the wild, but to 2-3’ tall in gardens. Judy Hedding is a Phoenix resident and has written more than 1,000 articles about Greater Phoenix and Arizona since 2000. Excellent free-blooming plant in large containers. Also known as Purple Showers, the Mexican petunia's flower petals are most commonly a vibrant violet color, but they can also be pink or white. Ruellia simplex 'Purple Showers' Back to Previous Page. While it's not mandatory, Mexican petunias benefit from the addition of manure, fertilizer, and compost in their growing areas. The shrub is considered invasive in the state of Florida and it's on the watch list in several others. Winter hardy to USDA Zone 8 (marginally hardy in Zone 7 with protection and mulch) where it is best grown in medium to wet soils in full sun to part shade. It also does well in average garden soils with even moisture. Transplanting Mexican petunias is best done in the fall before they go dormant in the winter. 2 more photos VIEW GALLERY. It thrives as a marginal water plant and in boggy soils. Let the seeds dry out and then plant them in a new area in the springtime. Mexican petunias can be grown in pots. This plant can be trimmed to … Cut back stems after flowering to encourage new flowers. It is shorter than other Ruellia cultivars and has adequate branching throughout so as to not look leggy.It blooms regularly and flowers have a nice, purple hue. Interestingly, the stem of this plant becomes more purple when it’s in bright light, as opposed to when it’s grown in a shady area, where the stem stays fairly green. It is native to Mexico, but has escaped gardens and naturalized somewhat aggressively in parts of the southeastern U. S. from South Carolina to Texas plus Hawaii, Puerto Rico and the U. S. Virgin Islands. Ruellia simplex, commonly called Mexican petunia or Texas petunia, is a vigorous, shrubby, woody-based, rhizomatous perennial that is grown as an annual north of USDA Zone 8. In the springtime, you can use a garden rake to mix in a fertilizer of choice into the top 2 inches of the soil surrounding the plants. RUELLIA coerulea 'Purple Showers' Plant Common Name. It can be significantly invasive in areas such as the Florida where it is has been declared to be a Category 1 invasive species. Flowers are similar to petunia-flowers and bloom freely from late spring to frost. Cutting back the stems after flowering will encourage new growth and even more blossoms. The color of the stems will vary depending on the light conditions—the more light the plant receives, the more purple you will find on their stems. It does very well in wet areas. I opted to try the ‘Mayan TM Compact Purple’ cultivar and so far it has been an excellent landscape plant.. For long stretches of time try planting the seeds dry out and then plant them in a variety of petunia! Seed but spreads aggressively by rhizomes and self-seeding in the spring ladder planters, wagons, at. 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