Plant Library

Other Names:  Ruellia simplex, Ruellia tweediana, Wild Petunia,

Description:

This variety is quite adaptable, and great for indoor containers; abundant purple flowers all season long; cut back stems to encourage re-blooming; does not set seed but will spread by rhizomes

Features & Attributes

Purple Showers Mexican Petunia features showy purple trumpet-shaped flowers at the ends of the stems from late winter to mid fall. Its serrated narrow leaves remain dark green in color throughout the year.

This is an herbaceous evergreen houseplant with an upright spreading habit of growth. You may trim off the flower heads after they fade and die to encourage releat blooming.

Planting & Growing

When grown indoors, Purple Showers Mexican Petunia can be expected to grow to be about 3 feet tall at maturity, with a spread of 3 feet. It grows at a fast rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live for approximately 10 years. This houseplant will do well in a location that gets either direct or indirect sunlight, although it will usually require a more brightly-lit environment than what artificial indoor lighting alone can provide. It is quite adaptable, prefering to grow in average to wet conditions, and will even tolerate some standing water. The surface of the soil should be kept consistently moist all of the time, and you should expect to water this plant two or more times each week, especially if it's growing in a low-humidity environment. Be aware that your particular watering schedule may vary depending on its location in the room, the pot size, plant size and other conditions; if in doubt, ask one of our experts in the store for advice. It is not particular as to soil type or pH; an average potting soil should work just fine.

There are many factors that will affect the ultimate height, spread and overall performance of a plant when grown indoors; among them, the size of the pot it's growing in, the amount of light it receives, watering frequency, the pruning regimen and repotting schedule. Use the information described here as a guideline only; individual performance can and will vary. Please contact the store to speak with one of our experts if you are interested in further details concerning recommendations on pot size, watering, pruning, repotting, etc.

-- THIS IS A HOUSEPLANT AND IS NOT MEANT TO SURVIVE THE WINTER OUTDOORS IN OUR CLIMATE --