Although Ruellia simplex has lovely blooms, due to its invasive tendencies it is not a good plant for Florida gardens. We moved into our current home nine months go and I've been trying to eradicate this plant from two separate areas of my yard ever since. It is a difficult task to remove and must be dug up due to the fact that that it travels via underground rhizomes; if you try to pull it by hand, the stems break off and you are still left with pieces of rhizomes in the soil. Mexican Petunia is a popular landscape plant because it is a prolific bloomer, it tolerates many different landscape conditions, from shade to sun, and it even thrives in poor soil. The plant is listed by the FEPPC (Florida Exotic Pest Plant Council) as a Category I invasive here in the state. To deter its spread, it is best grown in containers in Florida.

Reply to this comment

I grow this plant in a pot in Iowa, where it has zero chance of escaping.

Reply to this comment

This evergreen perennial that can eventually become semi-woody in stems is native to Mexico, Central & South America, and the Caribbean. I've seen it planted around in some places in Florida, where it is good for parking lot islands. It makes a good annual in the North and is occasionally sold at some larger, diverse garden centers. Each of its purple petunia-like flowers bloom for less than one day. It has opposite, lanceolate, willow-like leaves about 6 to 12 inches long. It bears tiny bean-like pods about 1 inch long that explosively dehisce sending mature seed in all directions, and is powerfully self-sowing, just like northern species of the Wild Petunias. Fast and easy to grow. It sends out rhizomes (underground stems) to spread more. The cultivar of 'Purple Showers' is sterile and is better to use to not send out seed.

Reply to this comment

I have had them in a container with a Black Diamond crepe myrtle for two years now. They died back last winter and got a much later start than I expected.

Fortunately, I decided to see whether it could be propagated from cuttings and it can! I took four cuttings and they all have roots coming in within a week of floating in water! I'm really stoked about using these as mothers to get more mature plants in other containers as soon as it's safe to set them out next year!

Reply to this comment

While attractive, this is a Category 1 invasive plant in Florida. It has been used extensively in landscaping, which is now heavily discouraged.

Reply to this comment

This plant produces plenty of flowers and is pretty much maintenance-free. It can be planted in the ground or in containers. Enjoys full sun.

Reply to this comment

There is a petunia native to Florida that is a much better choice than Ruellia tweediana. The native is Ruellia caroliniensis
Carolina Wild Petunia (Ruellia caroliniensis subsp. caroliniensis)

This R. tweediana is one tough cookie to get rid of. And if you think you can control it --- well, you might want to think again. It spreads willingly by seeds, which have no dormancy mechanism, and also by rooting wherever the stems touch the ground. It will also send runners underground. It may be pretty and it may be drought tolerant, as well as able to grow in wetlands, but it is also an invasive nightmare.
This has become a problem in many states; not just Florida.

Reply to this comment