Mexican petunia - Ruellia brittoniana care and culture

Mexican petunia also called as Ruellia brittoniana, Ruellia angustifolia, Cryphiacanthus angustifolius, Mexican bluebell, Britton's wild petunia and his scientific name Ruellia simplex, is a species in the genus Ruellia. It is an ornamental plant species popular in southeastern landscapes and gardens.

 Mexican petunia also called as Ruellia brittoniana, Ruellia angustifolia, Cryphiacanthus angustifolius, Mexican bluebell, Britton's wild petunia and his scientific name Ruellia simplex, is a species in the genus Ruellia. It is an ornamental plant species popular in southeastern landscapes and gardens.

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 Mexican petunia is native to Mexico, the Antilles, western Bolivia, southwestern Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay and northwest Argentina, and it is also found throughout the southeastern United States. It is found in sunny areas on periodically inundated soils. It has the ability to grow in a wide range of environmental conditions, from wetlands to almost xeric.

Mexican petunia - Ruellia brittoniana care and culture

 It is an evergreen perennial, herbaceous plant which growing up to 1 m high with several stems from a single rootstock and the older stems may be slightly woody; the younger stems are mostly hairless, green and four angled (quadrangular) that carry simple leaves which are carried in opposite pairs on the stem; each leaf has a short stem (petiole) 1-2 cm and the leaves are long and narrow (up to 20 cm long), hairless and usually dark green or slightly purplish tinted; the leaf tip is pointed and the leaf margins are even.

 The flowers are borne in few-flowered clusters in the upper leaf forks. It is a prolific bloomer with flowers in shades of purple and pink peaking in the summer, but with the potential to also bloom in spring and fall in some parts of Florida.

 Plant breeders have produced a number of cultivars that produce flowers in different shades of purple, pink, and white. Dwarf cultivars have also been produced. The ‘Purple Showers’ cultivar was the first sterile cultivar produced for the nursery trade, and is still the predominant cultivar available from retail garden centers and wholesale nurseries. Tree new cultivars for the landscape have been developed recently at the University of Florida and are now being sold as cultivars ‘Mayan Purple', Mayan White’ and ‘Mayan Pink’.

MEXICAN PETUNIA - RUELLIA BRITTONIANA CARE AND CULTURE

 Cultural information should only be used as a guide, and should be to be adapted to suit you. Your physical location; where you grow your plants, how much time you have to devote to their care, and many other factors, will need to be taken into account. Only then can you decide on the cultural methods that best suit you and your plants.

Light:

 Mexican petunia perform best in sunny locations although they will also tolerate part shade if necessary. When allowed to grow in full sun conditions, they will produce more flowers than those grown in full sun.

 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. In shadier areas, the stems will present as a solid green.

Mexican petunia - Ruellia brittoniana care and culture
© Erin

Temperature:

 Mexican petunia are hardy through USDA hardiness zones 7 to 11. They are a very hardy plant in many aspects, and they will tolerate a wide range of suboptimal growing conditions, but the one area in which they fall down is in very low temperatures. They do not survive in the cold, yet they can still be enjoyed as summer annuals in areas that experience low temperatures in the winter. If you are growing these plants in a cooler climate, they should be protected from cold winters, either by moving them to a protected position out of the cold breeze, by bringing them indoors or by covering them with gardening fleece.

Substrate and growing media:

 Its tolerance of varying urban landscape conditions makes it a common choice for difficult to plant areas. They will grow in almost any condition, including poor quality soil, but for best results, you should use well-drained, fertile soil. They grow and spread extra quickly in marshy soil, or next to rivers and lakes. When it comes to soil pH, these plants will survive in alkaline beds, but they most prefer neutral to slightly acidic environments.

Watering:

 Mexican petunia are incredibly tolerant of any watering conditions. They will survive both drought and flood, with no noticeable detrimental effects. They do benefit from occasional watering in dry climates but can go without for long stretches of time. The plant is hardy enough to survive long periods without water, although young plants need regular watering. During the colder months of the year, refrain from overwatering and only wet when the soil is visibly dry.

Fertilizer:

 These plants grow well without an additional boost of fertilizers. If you still want to feed your plants, a tablespoon of 10-10-10 fertilizer is enough. Scatter the fertilizer around the plant during the flowering season.

 If you have a plant that is struggling to flower but has lots of lush foliage growth, then you may need to test your soil for nutrient imbalance. You can try to flush out the nitrogen with lots of generous watering to resolve this problem, or you can add a layer of mulch to the surface of the soil, as this can help to draw nitrogen out.

Mexican petunia - Ruellia brittoniana care and culture

Pruning:

 Mexican petunia do benefit from pruning, especially if they're grown as a hedge. Cutting back the stems after flowering will encourage new growth and even more blossoms.

 Each stem, which would have developed one flower, will respond by branching out several stems, which will each produce a flower. By tactically pruning the plant in this way, you can increase the flower production quite dramatically, but the plant does tend to flower quite prolifically even without this measure. You can also deadhead the plant if you want to prevent self-seeding.

Pests and diseases:

 This plant don't have any serious insect or disease problems. Once established in the wild, the plants are very difficult to eradicate. The plants may spread invasively by self-seeding and rhizomes. Seeds persist in the soil.

Propagation:

 Mexican petunia can self-seed aggressively. During the rainy season or when hosed with water, the seeds can be ejected to up to 10-feet away. It propagates well on its own through seeds. These plants also propagate through cuttings. If you simply can’t have enough of the lovely violet flowers, cut the stem halfway down once the flowering season ends. The plant will replace the lost stem by growing multiple stems and flowers.

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Travaldo's blog: Mexican petunia - Ruellia brittoniana care and culture
Mexican petunia - Ruellia brittoniana care and culture
Mexican petunia also called as Ruellia brittoniana, Ruellia angustifolia, Cryphiacanthus angustifolius, Mexican bluebell, Britton's wild petunia and his scientific name Ruellia simplex, is a species in the genus Ruellia. It is an ornamental plant species popular in southeastern landscapes and gardens.
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