Purple Showers Mexican Petunia – Ruellia – 3 Gallon Pot

USDA Plant Hardiness Zones: 8a-11  Find Your Zone

Plant Type:  Perennial, Annual in zones north of 8a

Flower Color:  Purple

Flower Size:  2″ 

Flowering Period:  Late Spring to Frost

Flower Type:  Single

Fragrant Flowers:  No

Foliage Color:  Deep Green

Fragrant Foliage:  No

Berries:  No

Berry Color:  No

Attracts:  Visual Attention, Butterflies, Hummingbirds

Resistances:  Disease, Drought, Dry Soil, Heat, Humidity, Insect, Rabbit, Wet Soil

‘Purple Showers’ Mexican Petunia, which is a Ruellia and not a Petunia, is a very versatile and easy-to-grow hardy perennial in USDA Zones 8a-11. In zones north of 8a it can be grown as an annual in flower beds or in containers that can be overwintered indoors. The plant forms attractive clumps of erect, deep purplish stems that are clothed in dark-green, willow-like leaves tinged in purple. Vibrant purple petunia-flowers 2 inches in diameter are produced in abundance continually from late spring through fall – year round in zones where it remains evergreen. Butterflies and hummingbirds will flock to the flowers all season long!

Mexican Petunia is an adaptable and versatile flowering perennial plant that will grow almost anywhere. It is ideal for use in low-lying boggy areas of the landscape but will also tolerate drier sites. Great as a solo or mixed with other plants in pots, planters and other containers, which can be brought indoors over the winter by those who live and garden north of USDA Zone 8a. We have one growing in a pot in the margins of our garden pond. In consistently boggy soils the plant will spread vigorously by underground roots, similar to Equisetum hymale (Horsetail Grass). In well-drained soils it tends to behave more like clump-forming ornamental grasses. A fine addition to butterfly gardens, bog gardens, perennial gardens, cottage gardens, and purple theme gardens.

Suggested Spacing:  3 feet apart for hedges or mass plantings;  8 feet or more for space between plants

Note:  For our customers who live and garden north of USDA Plant Hardiness Zone 8a, where this Mexican Petunia variety is not reliably winter hardy outdoors, you can enjoy growing it in containers that can be moved indoors during winter and placed back outside when temperatures warm up in spring.

Purple Showers Mexican Petunia is exceptionally easy to grow and care for. It grows best in a consistently moist to wet soil of average fertility. As mentioned, we grow one in a pot at the margins of our garden pond. It is also quite drought tolerant when established, though flowering will be diminished somewhat until water is provided or rainfall resumes. We’ve grown it in full sun to part shade and it does equally as well. Too much shade though and flowering will be diminished. At least 4 hours of direct sunlight per day is suggested for best flowering. 

Note:  Find helpful advice from our experts under the Planting & Care tabs above on desktop monitors and below on mobile devices.