Mayan Compact Purple Mexican Petunia
Ruellia x simplex ‘Mayan Compact Purple‘
Plant Details
USDA Plant Hardiness Zones: 8a-11 Find Your Zone
Plant Type: Perennial, Annual in zones north of 8a
Height at Maturity: 24-36″
Width at Maturity: 18″+
Spacing: 18″ for mass plantings; 3′ or more for space between plants
Spacing: 18″ for mass plantings; 3′ or more for space between plants
Growth Habit / Form: Spreading
Growth Rate: Fast
Flower Color: Lavenderish Blue-Purple
Flower Size: 2″
Flowering Period: Late Spring to Frost!, year round in frost free climates
Flower Type: Single
Fragrant Flowers: No
Foliage Color: Deep Green
Fragrant Foliage: No
Berries: No
Berry Color: No
Sun Needs: Full Sun to Part Shade
Water Needs: Average
Soil Type: Clay (amend heavy clay), Loam, Sand (amend quick draining soil for moisture retention), Silt
Soil Moisture / Drainage: Moist But Well-Drained to Wet
Soil pH: 6.0 – 8.0 (Moderately Acid to Slightly Alkaline)
Maintenance / Care: Low
Attracts: Butterflies, Hummingbirds, Beneficial Pollinators, Visual Attention
Resistances: Disease, Drought (when established), Heat, Humidity, Insect, Rabbit, Wet Soil (periodic)
Description
A new hybrid on the scene, Mayan Compact Purple is a more vigorous and compact Mexican Petunia. At 2 to 3 feet tall and 18 to 24 inches wide it’s that’s a good fit for smaller garden spaces and pots. It has an upright clumping habit and is more fully branched than other taller growing varieties, which means it will also produce more flowers. Its petunia-like bluish purple flowers come in abundance year round in frost-free climates, and from late spring through mid fall in cool climates. The flowers stand out nicely against dark green leaves on reddish brown stems. The butterflies and hummingbirds will certainly appreciate this one! In our Georgia Zone 8a gardens the plant dies back to the ground in winter reemerging in spring, but is evergreen in frost-free climates. Hardy in USDA Zones 8a-11. Container grown plants can be overwintered indoors or grown year round as a houseplant in a well-lit space.
Landscape & Garden Uses
Growing 2 to 3 feet tall and 2 feet wide, the Mayan Compact Purple Mexican Petunia is ideal for use as an accent in smaller garden spaces, in groupings or as a border in larger spaces, or as a solo combined with other plants containers, which can be brought indoors over the winter by those who live and garden north of USDA Zone 8a. Can also be ground indoors as a year round houseplant in a well-lit space. A fine addition to butterfly and hummingbird gardens, bog gardens, perennial gardens, cottage gardens, and purple theme gardens.
Suggested Spacing: 1.5 feet apart for mass plantings; 4 feet or more for space between plants
Note: For our customers who live and garden north of USDA Plant Hardiness Zone 8a, you can enjoy growing this Ruellia in containers which can be moved indoors during winter and placed back outside when temperatures warm up in spring.
Growing Preferences
Mayan Compact Purple Mexican Petunia is exceptionally easy to grow and care for. It grows best in a consistently moist to wet soil of average fertility. 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. In Zone 8 the plant will die back to the ground for winter and remerge in spring. It is evergreen in frost-free climates.
Note: Find helpful advice from our experts under the Planting & Care tabs above on desktop monitors and below on mobile devices.
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