Machu^™ Morado Mexican Petunia Ruellia simplex

I love the Machu Morado Mexican Petunia. The colour is so true to the colour on the website. I am in Ontario, Canada, zone 6a, and for me, they almost behave like a hardy hibiscus: the blooms open up, last maybe a day, then they drop. Then in a day or two, new buds open up. As other customers said, the blooms are a bit sparse so I probably would not put them in a container and expect them to fill in. But in the landscape the colour is so pretty and so vibrant, the dark stem contrasts beautifully with the leaves... for me waiting a day for new blooms is totally worth it. They will not survive our winter, so I hope I can find them in garden centres next year. Thank you, PW.

These were in my garden when I bought my house four years ago. I’m in zone 7b, but this plant was invasive, spreading several feet in all directions from a single plant. The lush, dense thicket of plants was five feet tall. A year after trying to remove it, I’m still fighting volunteers; it resprouts from the smallest node fragment. That said, pollinators love it, deer don’t bother it, and it’s beautiful. I’m allowing brave pioneers to grow in my now-diverse pollinator garden, and I will enjoy the ones braving my shade garden at woods’ edge across the yard. I first noticed this plant when I lived In Florida, where I guess it was manicured into polite behavior. Now I know it better; nice to know some living creature likes our increasingly hot climate of Piedmont NC.

They have a lovely structure and great leaf color... BUT barely any blooms. Out of the 5 plants we have planted they probably average a few blooms total per week by late August in zone 5b. Nice looking plant, but would only plant again for leaves and structure, not blooms.