Carolina Wild Petunia
Ruellia caroliniana
Carolina wild petunia produces clusters of lavender-purple, trumpet-shaped flowers that open in the morning and drop by evening. a daily show that runs from midsummer through fall. The blooms look like exotic tropical flowers but come from one of our most reliably tough native perennials, handling drought and poor soil without complaint. Hummingbirds find it quickly and return throughout the season. Plants stay compact, rarely topping two feet, which makes them useful at the front of a border or woven through a dry sunny slope. The foliage is slightly hairy, deep green, and pairs cleanly with ornamental grasses and other prairie-edge plants. It naturalizes slowly by seed without becoming aggressive.
We grow a range of sizes and prices. Add the plant to your list, then pick your size when you visit.
Final price confirmed at pickup, depends on size and season.
- Thu, Jul 238 AM – 4 PM
- Fri, Jul 248 AM – 4 PM
- Sat, Jul 258 AM – 2 PM
A nursery-grown plant, ready for the ground.
Healthy, container-grown carolina wild petunia propagated on-site at Hill House from regional genetics. Includes a one-page care card. We make every effort to supply plants as listed; occasionally we substitute a similar species of equal value.
- Sun
- Full sun
- Water
- Average
- Mature size
- 1'–2'
- Bloom
- Flowers June through October; new blooms open each morning throughout the season
- USDA zones
- 6-9
Pairs well with these.
Same light, same soil, same wildlife. Janet's picks to plant alongside carolina wild petunia.
Or skip the guesswork.
Curated packages bundle 9–12 species that work together. One reservation, one pickup day, a printed layout map.
Butterfly Package
Host and nectar plants chosen to feed monarchs, swallowtails, and fritillaries spring through fall.
Hummingbird Package
Tubular-flowered natives that pull ruby-throats through your yard April through October.
S.O.S. Package
Save Our Songbirds, berry- and seed-bearing natives that feed nesting and migrating birds.