If you’re looking for a bamboo-like plant with purple flowers, you’re in luck.
There is only 1 such flower, and in this article, you will get to know more about it.
What’s the Name of a Bamboo-Like Plant With Purple Flowers?
A bamboo-like plant with purple flowers is called Ruella. The botanical name of this plant is Ruella brittoniana, or Ruella Simplex and it is also known as Mexican petunia, Mexican bluebell, or Britton’s petunia is native to Mexico, Western South America, and the Antilles.
This flower can be found in a handful of Southern states, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands. Ruella is cold-hardy in USDA Zones 8 to 11 and southward.
This plant grows 3-4 feet (90-120 cm) tall with attractive, purplish stems and narrow, lance-shaped leaves about 6-12 inches (15-30 cm) long. Blue or purple flowers appear from early summer through the fall and are beloved by butterflies, hummingbirds, bees, and other pollinators. The flowers grow in the shape of trumpets and can either bloom individually or in clusters.
How to Plant Ruella?
Mexican petunia spreads naturally through seeds and rhizomes. You can also propagate this plant via seeds, or cuttings.
When growing Ruella from seeds, sow them in early spring, after all danger of frost has passed. Plant one to two seeds for each expected plant spaced 12 inches (30 cm) apart.
When planting from cuttings, cut a healthy-looking stem just below a node, 4-6 inches (10-15 cm) from the end. Strip off any leaves near the bottom of the stem, and remove the bloom. Then, prepare a clean 4-inch (10 cm) pot with a mix of perlite and peat moss and moisten the mixture. Make a 2-inch-deep (5 cm)hole in the potting mix with a pencil.
Dip the cut end of the cutting into a powdered rooting hormone, and place the cutting into the hole you made in the potting mix. Next, place your potted cuttings in bright, indirect light, and keep them moist. After roots are established, you can transplant them outside.
How to Care for Ruella?
Mexican petunia doesn’t require lots of care.
Ruella prefers shade, but if the temperatures aren’t high, the plant may be able to take full sun.
This plant is actually able to withstand drought once established, but you should keep the soil consistently moist.
You’ll want to treat them to regular, deep waterings immediately after transplanting, which you’ll do in the springtime, and then you can back off the watering.
Ruella plants like warm temperatures and hates cold ones. As temperatures drop below 32 °F (0 °C), move your plant inside and be careful to keep it away from drafty areas.Â
You can fertilize this plant with a 10-10-10 mixture (buy here on Amazon) in the spring, but it’s optional.
When it comes to pruning, trim out any dead leaves and remove dead flowers for aesthetic purposes. Cut off the seed pods if you don’t want the plant to spread its seeds.
You shouldn’t worry about any pests and diseases, because Ruella doesn’t have any notable dangers.
Sources
southernliving.com, gardenerspath.com, tropicalplantsofflorida.com
