USDA Plant Hardiness Zones: 4a-8b  Find Your Zone

Plant Type:  Herbaceous Perennial

Flower Color:  Lilac to Lavender

Flower Size:  3" Long

Flowering Period:  Late Spring through Early Fall

Flower Type:  Single, Tubular

Fragrant Flowers:  No

Foliage Color:  Olive Green

Fragrant Foliage:  No

Berries:  No

Berry Color:  No

Attracts:  Butterflies, Hummingbirds, Beneficial Pollinators

Resistances:  Cold Temperatures (-30F / Zones 4-8), Deer - more info, Disease, Drought, Dry Soil, Heat, Humidity, Insect

Ruellia humilis is tough but pretty and an easy-to-grow North American native flowering perennial with a long bloom period from late spring through early fall. Though it's not really a petunia, like its cousin the Mexican Petunia (Ruellia simplex), it features abundant, lilac to lavender tubular, bell-shaped, petunia-like flowers from May to about October in our gardens. Butterflies, hummingbirds and a variety of beneficial pollinators will flock to the flowers. The plant grows from 1 to 2 feet tall and equally as wide, however will spread from seed to form colonies. Therefore, we suggest using it as a filler in garden beds or as a naturalizing groundcover or border in sunny to partially shaded woodland borders or prairie, meadow or wildflower gardens. Extremely low maintenance, it thrives in sites with moist but well draining to dry soils and full sun to partial shade.

Wild Pentunia attracts a wide variety of insect pollinators, but the lavender blooms are especially attractive to long tongued bees and butterflies. It is also a host plant for the Common Buckeye butterfly. 

Fringeleaf Wild Petunia is an adaptable and versatile flowering perennial plant that is ideal for use as a filler in garden beds or for naturalizing in sunny woodland borders, prairie and meadow gardens, cottage gardens, native gardens and wildflower gardens. Great as a solo or mixed with other plants in pots, planters and other containers.

Suggested Spacing:  2 feet apart for groupings or mass plantings

Fringeleaf Wild Petunia is exceptionally easy to grow and care for in a moist but well drained to dry soil of average to low fertility and full sun to part shade. It is very drought tolerant when established. We suggest at least 4 hours of direct sunlight per day for best flowering.

Note:  Find helpful advice from our experts under the Planting & Care tabs above on desktop monitors and below on mobile devices.