Wild Petunia - Ruellia humilis

Ruellia humilis, also known as Wild Petunia, is a perennial wildflower native to southern Michigan, but it makes a great garden plant for the Upper Peninsula. Wild Petunia reaches 1 to 2 feet tall and flowers in the heat of the summer, from June to August, with showy lavender blossoms on long stems.

It prefers full sun and medium soil, but will grow in loam or sand, including dry sites, and also tolerates part sun. Good for shallow or rocky sites but versatile enough for rain gardens! Just be sure that plants which get taller in richer soils don't crowd it out. When given enough space, Wild Petunia forms an attractive clump, and can spread into a groundcover through reseeding. When crowded, the plant will weave itself among the other flowers, growing taller and leaning on its friends to get its flowers into the sun, accentuating the surrounding plants with bursts of purple.
 
Wild Petunia supports long-tongued bees and leaf cutter bees. It also attracts butterflies, moths, and is a host plant for the Common Buckeye butterfly. 
 
Ideal for front of the flower bed, sidewalk/driveway edges, rock gardens, or clumped in shortgrass prairie plantings. Pairs well with Butterfly Milkweed, Gray Goldenrod, Common Yarrow, Black-eyed Susans, and Prairie Dropseed.