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Arizona Gardening

When to plant Ruellia Brittoniana (Mexican Petunia)

11 years ago

I have a large section along my southwest-facing fence that I'd like to fill in with Mexican Petunia (Ruellia Brittoniana). The blue one that grows to 3-4ft, not the dwarf variety. Is this a plant that should be put in the ground during the fall with other trees and shrubs, or can it be planted in the spring or even summer months? I understand it grows fastest with heat, but will new plantings shrivel without being first established in the cooler months?

If I have to wait until fall, can I germinate seeds now and keep them containered on the patio (no direct sunlight) through the summer or will they grow too fast and become root bound before Oct? TIA

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Comments (5)

User
11 years ago
If you have a way to keep them well-watered, plant them from pots now and they will cover the area by the end of summer.

If you have seeds, plant them NOW and they should grow nicely as long as they get steady water until the seedlings are established.
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grant_in_arizona
11 years ago
I agree with Lazy as usual. Fall and VERY early spring are the best times, but you can definitely plant them now if you keep them well-watered. It's not ideal, but they'll be happy as long as they get that water! Let us know if you go for it, and how it works out. Happy gardening!
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DWA in AZ Sunset zone 12
11 years ago
These things must be tough. I had a 14-in pot of them that I put out of the way on the west end of the house sometime this winter.
About 2 weeks ago, I noticed some green, resumed watering, and they're making a comeback. I don't think they're seedlings because the leaves are so large.
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aztreelvr
11 years ago
This plant spreads by underground rhizomes like Bermuda grass. It will invade any area where there is moisture including grass and gravel landscapes. If you try to dig it out, any pieces left behind in the soil can sprout and grow again.

If you're OK with that, great. Isolated planters are perfect for Ruellia britonniana. The dwarf variety 'Katie' doesn't do this and neither does its cousin the shrub Baja Ruellia (Ruellia peninsularis).

Just thought you should know.
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xill
Original Author
11 years ago
aztreelvr that's exactly what i'm hoping for :) I have a 4ft x 160ft section sitting outside of my cedar privacy fence. i had planned to have alot of shrubs planted there last year, but that didn't work out. just as well, thinking about it now it's probably more maintenance than I'd want to keep up with for a section of my property that only the neighbors get to enjoy. I figure I'll plant a few shrubs like hopseed, bougainvillea, and GC sage for interest but basically let the ruellia have the rest. the area is boxed in between my fence and the sidewalk. it might creep into my neighbor's section down the street but he doesn't care, he said he'll just mow it with the rest of his grass. it might creep into the other side of my fence as well, but i don't mind. if it gets out of hand i'll hoe sections of it out every couple weeks when i'm cleaning up the rest of the gardens. i probably will wait until fall to plant them though, i don't even have a drip line set up out there yet and it's getting hot pretty fast this year :( maybe we'll have an early autumn...
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