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Crossvine prospers in the sun or in light shade. It is an evergreen
vine that can cover a fence or fill a trellis. In April the vine
is covered with red-apricot-colored, tubular blooms that stop traffic.
The selection ?angerine Beauty has a superior orange color and larger
blooms than the native vine. Crossvine is often the flowering plant
where we see the first hummingbirds of the spring in South Texas.
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The widely adaptable dwarf Mexican petunia (Ruellia brittoniana)
has been named a Texas Superstar™ by Texas A&M University.
The tall upright, dark green plants with lance-shaped leaves and
bright purple, tubular flowers are in full bloom in the hottest
part of the summer and show no signs of being neglected even if
planted in a less than optimum location.
Mexican petunias are very adaptable and will tolerate wet and
dry soils. They prefer full sun but will tolerate shade; however,
since flowering is light-related, the plants will flower less
in shade. Mexican petunias and their cultivars are perennial and
will remain green under conditions of light frost. However, the
foliage will die when a severe frost occurs, and the plant will
go dormant until spring.
Although Mexican petunias are drought-tolerant once established,
they perform best with regular irrigation during droughts and
with regular feeding of high phosphorus fertilizers. They are
disease- and insect-resistant and only rarely bothered by snails
and caterpillars.
One limitation of the large-growing plant is that it can be aggressive
in well-cared-for situations, spreading by both seed and rhizomes
which can be a pest in rich garden soil. The introduction of a
dwarf Ruellia was a great step in solving this "problem".
The dwarf, less-aggressive version of the species is 'Katie' dwarf
Ruellia (sometimes called 'Nolan's dwarf'). About 6 inches in
height, it works nicely in an informal front-of-the-border grouping
or as a groundcover in narrow spaces. 'Katie' needs no deadheading,
and will continue to flower all season long, and is just as tough
as its species parent, able to grow in hot, dry neglected spots.
In good soil, the plant will reseed true, but is not as invasive
as others in the species. Recently, a dwarf pink version of 'Katie'
called 'Bonita™' was patented and introduced by Color Spot
Nurseries. A white version can also be found.
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