Ruellia Red Elegans

Ruellia red elegans

Characteristics

Culture

Bright red trumpet shaped five-petaled 1-to-2-inch flowers.  Ruellia elegans, or Red Ruellia, is native to Brazil with bright red trumpet shaped flowers that appear on 6-to-8-inch wand-like stems. The upper petals tend to flare out and back, while the lower one curls out and downward. The blooms attract butterflies and hummingbirds and last from May until frost. The plant tolerates a light frost, but dies back at about 28 degrees. It forms a 12-inch high by 24 inch in diameter mound of soft green, semi-fuzzy foliage. The Ruellia Red Elegans plant is described as an annual, but because it reseeds and spreads rapidly, it is sometime thought of as a perennial.

Noteworthy Characteristics

Beginning in mid to late spring and continuing all the way to frost, Ruellia Red Elegans produces eye-catching brilliant red 4-petaled nectar-rich flowers that are sure to capture the attention of butterflies and hummingbirds as well. Attractive, soft-green semi-fuzzy foliage adds to the overall appeal. Also known as Ragin’ Cajun in the south. With a rich soil that stays consistently moist the clump may grow larger than that but never becomes invasive at all.  Resists disease, heat, humidity, insect, and rabbits

Winner of the “FlameProof Award” at Dallas Arboretum, Ragin’ Cajun is a fine choice for a season long color in garden beds or pots.

Problems

Aphids, spider mites, whiteflies

Garden Uses

Cottage garden, rock garden, containers, specimen plant in smaller garden