I really like mine. It's a spreading type of plant. The leaves have taken root along the ground. It's really pretty. Kinda tropical looking. I like the foliage too. I have mine in part shade.

I read that it is evergreen to the upper 20's, but I don't know about the one. We'll see, it's my first year with it.

Thanks so much for your information. It sounds like it will work out perfectly where I plan to put it...in a raised bed with full morning sun and cool afternoon shade. As long as it doesn't grow taller than 18-20 inches, I've got a winner for that spot. Hope others can give more input.

I have had some in a pot for 3 years. The first 2 years I tried it in the ground, it didn't overwinter, so it goes in the greenhouse. Of course I'm alot farther north than you, and since it wasn't offered in the garden centers until July August, it didn't have a whole season to establish. I put the pot out as soon as the weather warms, and it blooms non stop till it goes back in the greenhouse (even bloomed some in the greenhouse). This year I have 2 little plants that came up from seed in the 3 years it's been out. We'll see if they survive.
I really love it, it gets about 10-15" tall, no bugs bother it, mine is in morning shade and 2-3 hours of afternoon sun. And the hummers like it too. It's a keeper in my book.

I have Ruellia elegan and really like it. It got burnt here at 28deg., but came back. I think I only got 2 seedlings all year, but it is easy to propagate from stem cuttings, and I have six or eight to take to our fall swap.
Jim

Thanks for the info, Jim. If you are going to the mercer swap, let me know cause I would love to trade for some of those cuttings.
molly

Sorry Molly, I go to the Galveston County Swap.
Jim

I love mine! It is not invasive. I do have the wild pink petunia and it pops up all over the place, but not the ruellia elegans.

I bought it for the flower - it didn't have a tag. I posted a pic here on GW and found out what it is. I would never have bought it had I known it was anything close to a ruellia. Heck, I don't even buy plants close to ruellia in the stores for fear a seed will be in the pot.

I really like it. It's in a too-small pot but has done well. I plan on putting it in the greenhouse and taking cuttings this winter.

Good grief, that is gorgeous!!! I want one!

OK, now I'm getting confused....mine doesn't look like your photo yummykaz. I looked up the ruellia elegans in the hines website and plantsdatabase.com and confirmed that is what I purchased, but neither the leaves nor the blooms look like the plant in your photo.
molly

Mine doesn't look like the picture either molly. The flower looks right, but the foliage is alot larger and more tropical than mine. Maybe yummykaz takes better care of hers than I do ;).

Mine looks just like Yummykaz's.

I bought mine at the San Antonio Botanical Gardens. It was simply called, "Red Ruellia: Christmas Surprise".

When I went to look it up online, I couldn't find any pictures that looked like mine.