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

My mom brought me a glass full of cuttings last year, from Florida (I'm in Ohio). She had bought them at a national home improvement store and loved them. I planted them a few weeks after having them, since they had done a great job of rooting in that glass. WOW what a show!!! They put out lots of flowers everyday! I have very hard clay and to see something take so well and get so big so fast is just marvelous to me. I loved them so much that I took a few cuttings in the house and let them root. In January I potted them up and stuck them in my south window. Again, doing great! Just waiting to plant them in a few weeks.....I'm planning on giving some as gifts this year as well. I would like to mention that I had these in a raised bed, albeit not composted or amended, on the south side of my home. They bloomed til November in my zone five area! They did make it though several frosts (and light snows) before turning black, so they may be just a tad more hardy than thought. I did see lots of seeds, but didn't collect any.

I bought this from a garden center in Illinois, the first I'd ever seen it sold here as an annual. It did VERY well in my poor clay soil and shot up to about 4 feet or more. I did have to put a fence around it so it didn't flop over but I didn't mind because it has not stopped flowering. It hasn't wilted from lack of water or 100 degree temps as did the rest of my garden. It will be welcome next year!

it can become very invasive...and stores sell it all the time..i have noticed the mini ruella.....it took me a long time to dig it out as the roots are tough...and it's still coming back..lol...it has a place if one has a big yard or a good backdrop to other plants...i like the PINK better

This plant is on the Florida Department of Environmental Protection's invasive plant list. See [HYPERLINK@www.dep.state.fl.us] It spreads like crazy!

From the near-by church, to a basket my neighbor had discarded, to the fern pot the old basket held for me. Very, very "naturalising". My blooms have lasted several days. I keep 3pots on my porch, AWAY from other plants. * Thanks for the seed gathering info. m4

this plant is wonderful. in my garden it is growing very well, each morning the beautiful flowers open up and add a great contrast to my other plants and then in the late afternoon all of the flowers fall to the ground, I guess that is where the purple RAIN came from because it just kind of rains down on the ground. it has rained alot here every day for a week or so and it is still growing very well and when there is no rain i only water a small amount and they are just as good.