General Plant Information (Edit)
Plant Habit: Herb/Forb
Life cycle: Perennial
Sun Requirements: Full Sun
Full Sun to Partial Shade
Water Preferences: Wet Mesic
Mesic
Soil pH Preferences: Slightly acid (6.1 – 6.5)
Neutral (6.6 – 7.3)
Slightly alkaline (7.4 – 7.8)
Minimum cold hardiness: Zone 7b -15 °C (5 °F) to -12.2 °C (10 °F)
Maximum recommended zone: Zone 11
Plant Height: 6 to 8 inches
Plant Spread: 8 to 12 inches
Leaves: Evergreen
Other: Goes dormant in colder zones
Flowers: Showy
Flower Color: Purple
Bloom Size: Under 1"
Flower Time: Late spring or early summer
Summer
Late summer or early fall
Year Round
Underground structures: Rhizome
Uses: Groundcover
Will Naturalize
Wildlife Attractant: Bees
Butterflies
Resistances: Humidity tolerant
Drought tolerant
Propagation: Other methods: Division
Containers: Suitable in 3 gallon or larger
Needs excellent drainage in pots

Common names
  • Mexican Petunia
  • Desert Petunia
  • Florida Bluebells
  • Mexican Blue Bells
Botanical names
  • Accepted: Ruellia simplex
  • Synonym: Ruellia tweediana

Comments:
  • Posted by tabbycat (Youngsville, LA - Zone 9b) on Jul 19, 2018 12:01 PM concerning plant:
    I believe this is the dwarf variety of purple I have. It's mid July and flowers just started opening every day on this border plant of my front yard beds. It only gets 8 inches tall, and it branches, so each plant grows to 8"x8" and looks perfect in a border. They will bloom into fall and get nipped by the 1st frost but they are perennials, so they will return in spring and flower by July. It can be invasive as it pops seeds out 3 feet like its taller variety.

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