Mexican Petunia - Live Plants - Ruellia Tweediana 'Purple Showers'

Purple, petunia-like flowers appear continuously throughout the warm season on broad clumps of tall, upright, woody stems with narrow, elongated, dark green leaves. Plant towards the rear of a border or as an accent in a mixed container. Versatile and adaptable to varied conditions, from wet soils to waterwise gardens. An herbaceous perennial. Highly adaptable, but thrives in organically rich, well-drained soil; grows vigorously in wet soils and tolerates moderate drought. Blooms best in full sun. Water deeply, regularly during the first growing season to establish an extensive root system; once established, reduce frequency. Prune back old foliage before new growth emerges in spring. Excellent free-blooming plant in large containers. May be grown indoors as a houseplant. Excellent annual flowering plant for areas where it is not winter hardy. It may be effectively grown in bog gardens, as a pond marginal, and in beds and borders. Follow a regular watering schedule during the first growing season to establish a deep, extensive root system. Established plants are drought tolerant. Blooms best in full sun. May be hardy to USDA zone 7 with winter protection. For a neat appearance, remove old foliage before new leaves emerge. ‘Purple Showers’ is a vigorous, upright, Mexican petunia (also called Mexican blue bell) that typically grows in a clump to 3-4 feet tall. Tubular, petunia-like flowers bloom freely from the leaf axils from late spring to frost on greenish-purple stems clad with linear, willowy, sword-shaped, green leaves.