We’ve had Mexican petunias (Ruellia brittonia) for years but recently I got these dwarf Ruellia species. They have the same flowers but only get a few inches tall, which makes the foliage look denser. I like the way the flowers look against the dark foliage. Another plus is that they are not as invasive.

Also blooming in our garden on Labor Day weekend: esperanza, blackfoot daisy, salvia greggii in several colors, zexmenia, pavonia, lantana in blue, gold and the pink and yellow, turk’s cap, bachelor buttons, sunflowers, four-nerve daisy, mistflower, flame acanthus, gaura, salvia coccinea, mexican milkweed and jimson weed. The only rose blooming is the roulettii near the front walk.