PlantFiles: Desert Petunia, Florida Bluebells, Mexican Petunia, Mexican Blue Bells
Ruellia brittoniana 'Blanquita'

I inherited this plant when I bought my house. Two years later, it is still blooming and growing. I don't fertilize it, I don't add fancy topsoil and I even forget to water it sometimes! I know it sounds terrible. This plant is very hardy. Mine is in partial shade, but I know people in my neighborhood that have it in full sun. It has not invaded the plants nearby, just grows up and out toward my lawn. Great plant for lazy gardeners who like color!

I started with clippings from our golf course and now I have them growing along a fence and they just grow and grow and grow. I don't seem to be getting many flowers on some of them but they fill in a spot I like to cover. I don't know if I am supposed to cut them back so they grow more flowers. And, I don't know if I am supposed to fertelize them. They are easy to grow in this central Florida area

Contrary to the database, this plant is a perennial for me in zone 7b, Knoxville TN, although it does die back in the winter. I was given a small piece 2 years ago, and it was huge this past summer, probably over 4' in some places. It's still blooming, and is quite lovely. I can see that it will get larger every year, but I don't mind because it's covering some old lattice in front of the AC. Mixed in with it is Indigo Spire, another enthusiastic grower. It should be interesting to see if they continue to get along.

These are lovely little plants growing wild all over. We dig up what we see in the ditches before the county works the ditches, and transplant them into our yard. All have thrived.
Great color and just a delight to have.

A friend of mine gave me some of this wonderful Mexican Petunia, although it is not a perennial in my neck of the woods, I will difinately grow it again, there is no way I want to miss those beautiful big blooms and I love the foliage, over 3' high and I didn't get them till the first part of summer, thank you for the info on the taking cuttings and seeds :-) Gotta love this plant data base.

I agree with Killmerfl, I'm not all that excited about regular petunias, but this one is very special :-)

I really enjoy this plant. It grows well in the poorest of soils, and in almost any watering condition. I grow them in a very area with hard clay and rocks, my parents grow them in loose sand where theres a water leak from the kitchen sink drain.

They can become invasive, however. In our climate the roots and sometimes even the whole plant does not die back, and new ones come up from the seeds. It will continue to come up if it's dug up also, since it sprouts from any bits of the roots, stems or leaves. Good idea to dehead or remove the seed pods before they have a chance to dry and burst open, releasing the seeds everywhere.

This plant a neighbor gave me some cuttings of last year and it is so wonderful. I live in upper Florida and we have a couple freezes a year and this plant has survived this and much more. It self seed and is easy to share with stem cuttings. I am so glad I gave it plant a chace I normally do not like petunias cause they are so lanky and unapealing but this plant is full and beautiful all spring, summer, and fall. I have had flowers on it all year except a month or so in the winter which to us is January. We only have two seasons Hot and Hotter!!!!!!
Mine has grown at least to 3 and 1/2 feet tall although when I got this plant they said that it should only get 10-12 inches tall so go figure.