Do not over-water as it leads to root-rot. Double Knockout Rose - Varieties, Care & Planting Information, 10 Best Perennial Flowers For Your Garden, 8 Exciting Japanese Flowers - Photos, Uses, and Care Guides, 9 Mexican Flowers with Photos & Growing Guides, Mexican petunia, Mexican bluebell, Florida bluebell, Desert petunia, Britton’s wild petunia, Purple ruellia. These plants are hardy through USDA hardiness zones 7 to 11. You can do this by watering the plant as soon as the top layer of the soil starts to dry out. They have also naturalized in Florida, where they grow so aggressively that they are able to choke out other plants that are native to the state. Are you sure you want to delete your notes for this recipe? The large, petunia-like blooms are backed by dense clumps of narrow, dark green foliage. Prune old foliage before new leaves emerge in early spring. 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. Very showy, they are attractive to butterflies, bees and other pollinators. Though Mexican petunias are highly adaptable to most soil types, they grow better in fertile soil that is well drained and capable of retaining the required amounts of moisture. View gallery. Ruellia peninsularis (Desert Ruellia, Baja Ruellia) Shrub. So, what is ruellia and can it be grown in the garden? Each flower only lasts one day, but during the long blooming season, the plant produces so many flowers that you will never be short on the pretty purple blossoms. Mexican petunias, also known as desert petunias, produce more flowers the more sunlight they have, so choose a sunny spot in your yard. However, temperatures in mid-20's F will cause damage, requiring some pruning in the early spring. this evergreen shrub has a naturally rounded form, with white-grey stems, small glossy green leaves, and deep blue flowers. The plant can have a tendency to self-seed quite aggressively, with the seeds dispersing themselves as much as 10 feet away from the plant. In terms of frequency of watering, this will depend on lots of variables, including the lighting position that your plant is grown in, the climate, the type of soil, and whether it is growing directly in the ground or in a pot. Plant in full sun and well-drained soils. Aside from flower production, the other way Mexican petunias are affected by light is with the color of their stems. They can survive drought, flood, heat, and poor soils, which will be a blessing for many gardeners. Email The content of this field is kept private and will not be shown publicly. Features of care: The main difficulty is the formation of an attractive appearance of the plant. By Amy Grant. After the flower fades, it will develop into a pod resembling a bean pod, containing a cluster of seeds. Acanthaceae : Form: Shrub Seasonality: Evergreen. © 2021 The Taunton Press, Inc. All rights reserved. Watering Pour 2 cups or 500ml every day only when the the soil begins to dry out. Aside from removing dead or damaged stems, this plant doesn’t necessarily require pruning, but it depends on the type of look you like in your garden. They will also grow in partial shade, though plants grown in a partly shaded position may experience less flower development than those grown in full sun. ARIZONA-SONORA DESERT MUSEUM PLANT CARE INFORMATION Dwarf Ruellia Ruellia brittonii DESCRIPTION: Dwarf Ruellia is a low-growing, herbaceous perennial with long, narrow, dark green leaves. Mexican petunias thrive in full sun. 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