I don't understand this plant! I bought some for my garden several years ago, thinking the hummingbirds and maybe the butterflies would like them. They've ignored them every year, even though I've seen nectar dripping from those red, tubular flowers! I don't get it! The hummingbirds visit my butterfly bush 'Orange Septre' religiously (a different type from B. davidii) with small, not tubular flowers and ignore R. elegans!

I planted some Ruellia caroliniana, the native type, on various parts of my property a few years ago, and butterflies and hummers have pretty much ignored their flowers, too. I've kept the R. elegans, because it's so easy to grow, and the flowers are so pretty. I've kept the R. caroliniana, because the flowers are also pretty, and I've read it's a host plant for buckeyes - I've yet to find any buckeye cats on mine, they just stick to Agalinis in the late summer and fall. R. caroliniana is extremely easy to grow, also, provide big, pretty and reliable purple/blue flowers from late spring to fall, so they're still winners.

For me, you can't beat butterfly bush/B. davidii, milkweed, and lantana for butterflies. And for hummers, my new Orange Septre, Salvia guaranitica, and turk's cap/Malvaviscus drummondii are the best In Florida, other flowers might be better.

Sherry

Thanks for your experience, Very interesting.

I bought one plant. Glad I didn't buy more. I'll plant it in the garden and see what happens. The flowers look like they should be hummingbird magnets.

Jane