I'm still trying to get rid of the "stray" ruellias that pop up now and then (from 6 yrs. ago). I think it's very invasive; through roots and seeds. I grant that it's very pretty, but I'd never plant it again.
Mexican Petunia
I agree, greenelf.
We are not seeing invasive–issues here in 10b; I plant this on lots of projects. The main issue is the need for continual pruning as it gets a little leggy.
Michael
Michael - Plant it in your own garden. Then tell us it's not invasive. ;-D
I have both the tall and the short and the short variety is the ones invasive, The tall ones never have seeds I like them much better. The short variety spreads a lot but like others here I just pull up the ones I dont want and I have pink and purple short and where the pink ones come from I dont know. I didnt plant them. By the way anyone want liquid rooting hormone you can get it at bwicompanies.com
They have a warehouse in Apopka, Fl . I just got some the other day. Fran
ceejaytown,
Well, I've not planted it in my own garden, but I've specified tens of thousands of them for planting projects [I'm a landscape architect], and never seen the issue.
So I wonder: is it peculiar to the climate [tropical] or the soils [alkaline] or?
m - I think that you're just not the one out there having to pull up all of the seedlings. I may be wrong, but I would think M. petunia would be safer to grow up north with winters that have lots of below freezing weather. We get a few below 32 degree nights, but not enough to kill it off. It is definitely a ground cover - it covers the ground, and fast. In a smaller garden, where plants should keep to themselves, it is a menace.
Having said that, I know there are lots of gardeners who love it; I'm just not one of them. But I'm still a good person..... LOL!!
I gave me mother some in north miss and it dont do that well there, but then agian nothing seems to grow good in her yard . My sister and I have tried a little of everything and nothing works. My soil is amended sand and eveything grows good here if I add other stuff to it. mostly Compost Manure. How that tall mexican petunia spreads I dont know for it dont here only the short variety and it sure does. but its pretty anyway and I just pull up what I dont want. Have to do it when its young tho as it grabs ahold of the soil and it s like being glued into the ground LOL. Fran
Terribly, terribly invaisive in So. Florida.
I "inherited" one when we moved into our house. I've spent the better part of two years trying to remove it. I've found it popping up suckers from root systems thirty feet away. Everytime I pull it out, it seems one more root volunteers somewhere nearby.
I'd consider using poison on it, just to be done with it, but it's roots are around my bananas, heliconias and bouganvelias. Long ago it became just another part of my weeding routine.
It's sad, because I love purple and when I first moved here, I was actually impressed with the frequency of new flowers.
I agree with absolutely every commend made here about this plant.
It raises a question: Has anybody noticed if the ruellia "chokes out" others plants? If not, I'm about to give up on this fight and just let it take over as a ground cover, but not if it chokes other plants.
Here, in Sarasota, FL, our Home Depot carries the sterile one that comes in the Florida Friendly pot. It says sterile on the tag. Others here have tried it and attest to the fact that this one doesn't spread, other than in the same clump. However, I find that every other nursery in the area carries the non-sterile one. Don't know why more places don't carry the sterile variety. I've only seen it in the tall purple one.
Anna
I started my tall ones from some cuttings someone threw out in the neighborhood and popped them in some water and lo and behold a couple of weeks later i had them rooted since then i have rooted more if i wanted them. Seems they grow faster if you water them a lot but I just cut them back shorter and bam they grow so fast and bloom so well. Of course they drop the blooms in the afternoon but next day they are back in full bloom. So easy to room and they do get fairly thick in the spot you plants them in but they sure dont multiply just bloom their heads off. Fran