One Piece at a Time

It's been unseasonably warm here in My Florida Backyard, and we haven't been getting as much outside time as we might like. We're getting all the moist heat of the summer with very little of the beneficial afternoon rain. Temps are running 5-7 degrees among normal, with days approaching record highs of near or at 90. Still, it beats snow, sleet, and nasty north winds, so we're trying not to complain - much.

Still, I try to get out each day for at least a little stroll around the yard, to check on everyone and plan maintenance and improvements for when the weather finally cools off. Today, I was pleased to notice that the new Mexican Petunia plants I started a few weeks ago are doing well.

I've written my thoughts about Mexican Petunia before - the only way it belongs in a Florida-Friendly yard is if you use a sterile cultivar. That is, of course, what we have, so the plants don't spread unless we want them to. You might think that means that when I want new plants, I have to buy them, since these plants produce no seeds. Fortunately, Mexican Petunia has to be one of the absolute easiest plants to start from cuttings.

In fact, "start from cuttings" makes the process sound more complicated than it is. All I did to start this new set of plants was to break off a piece of an existing plant at a joint, where it forms a sort of square. Then, I used a stake to make a narrow deep hole and shoved the "cutting" down into the soil. I watered them in well, and watered them once a week or so - when I remembered.

They looked a little wilty for the first day or two, but now they're beginning to establish roots and starting to thrive. By this time next year, my new plants should be reaching the heights of the older ones, creating a nice border between our property and the neighbors - all at no additional cost to me.

Mexican Petunias (Ruellia brittoniana) are both a blessing and a curse to Florida gardeners. They're easy to grow, produce flowers during much of the year, and are readily available at any local nursery - that's good. But the non-sterile cultivars produce seeds and spread at a prodigious rate; they can easily choke out other plantings and become impossible to eradicate - that's bad. So once again, I have to say - if you want them, look for those marked "sterile cultivar". It's the only responsible thing to do.

P.S. There is a similar native plant out there, by the way. Just this weekend, I was able to buy a very healthy looking Wild Petunia (Ruellia caroliniensis) at my favorite native plant nursery. It only grows to about 12 inches, as opposed to the 5-6 foot range of the Mexican Petunia, and the purple flowers are a bit smaller. They are just as attractive to butterflies, if not more so, and serve as a host plant for Buckeye butterfly caterpillars. If you have the chance to buy Wild Petunia instead of Mexican Petunia, you should certainly do so.

Black Bottom

It's a breathlessly hot afternoon, and only the bumble bees seem hard at work. I caught this guy poking his head into every Mexican Petunia (sterile cultivar, of course) he could find.

I admire his industriousness, but I'm just going to keep sitting under the ceiling fan and staying cool. It's too darn hot for anything else.

Fun Fact: The scientific name for the Common Eastern Bumble Bee is "Bombus Impatiens".

Mexican Hat Dance

While filling my watering can from the rain barrel this afternoon, I stopped to admire the Mexican Petunias thriving along the fence (well, my neighbor's fence, but my petunias). Their happy purple blooms were drawing bees in the late afternoon sun, and they danced in the breeze blowing from the lake. What a great flower for Florida - hardy, drought-tolerant, easy to care for - everyone should have these in their (screech! "Hey, what's going on? Give back my microphone! This is my blog! What are you doing?" screech!)

LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, THIS INTERRUPTION IS BROUGHT TO YOU BY THE EMERGENCY BROADCASTING SYSTEM...OF INVASIVE PLANTS. WE ARE HERE TO TELL YOU THAT MEXICAN PETUNIA IS HIGHLY INVASIVE AND IS LISTED AS A CATEGORY 1 INVASIVE SPECIES BY THE FLORIDA EXOTIC PEST PLANT COUNCIL. DO NOT LISTEN TO ANYTHING THIS PERSON IS TELLING YOU. MEXICAN PETUNIA IS INVASIVE AND MUST BE AVOIDED IN FLORIDA-FRIENDLY GARDENS. THAT IS ALL.

Geez, guys, you didn't give me a chance to finish! You're absolutely right. Mexican Petunia (Ruellia brittoniana) is absolutely an invasive species in Florida. Even though you find it at nearly every nursery, especially the big box stores, Mexican Petunia is actually a terrible plant for a Florida-Friendly yard.

What is an invasive species, anyway? Simply put, an invasive species is one that is not native to the area, but thrives here to the detriment of local species. Some non-native plants are fine, because they're easy to control or don't complete with local species. But an invasive plant is a real problem, because it takes over the environment, with little or no help from humans, and spreads like crazy. If you want to learn more, click on over to the Florida Invasive Plant Education site.

So why the heck would I have terribly invasive non-native Mexican Petunias in My Florida Backyard? Here's why: I use a sterile cultivar of this plant. This means that the plant has been cultivated so that it can't propagate on its own. The MPs I plant in my yard will stay only in my yard, and will not spread out of control. The only place I've been able to find this sterile cultivar Mexian Petunia (believe it or not!) is at my local Home Depot nursery. They sell plants from Riverview Flower Farm (the ones that come in the green pots).

Here's the deal: If you have Mexican Petunia in your yard, and you don't know whether it's sterile or not, then it's probably not. I highly recommend you pull it out, all of it, and replace it with something more Florida-Friendly. You could try the Wild Petunia, which is similar, but I have to admit I didn't have much luck with it. Or look for something completely different - remember to try the Florida Friendly Plant Database.

Or, if you want, try the sterile cultivar. I've had luck with it, and after a year, it has not spread beyond where I've planted it. It does get a little...broad - in order to keep it from drooping out onto the path, I tie it up to bamboo stakes. I think it makes a responsible addition to My Florida Backyard, and I'm glad we have it.