Ruellia colorata

When the tropical garden needs a shot of colour in winter, Ruellia colorata delivers it low to the ground and in no uncertain terms. The scarlet bracts are the real showpiece — vivid, long-lasting and intensely coloured, each one cradling small orange flowers that nectar-feeding birds zero in on when other sources are thin. It’s one of those plants that looks like it should be harder to grow than it is.

At ground level it earns its keep three ways: as an edging plant it gives a crisp, colourful border that holds its own against the big foliage plants behind it; as a bed filler it spreads into gaps without becoming a nuisance, knitting together the middle and front of a tropical planting; and as a design element it’s genuinely striking — that scarlet-and-orange combination against tropical greens is the kind of colour hit that makes a garden look considered and intentional rather than thrown together.

The winter flowering season is a real practical advantage.  It never fails to floor visitors to the nursery. While honeyeaters and sunbirds are working the garden hard for whatever nectar is on offer, Ruellia colorata is one of the most reliable things you can plant to keep them coming. Put it at the front of a mixed tropical border alongside other winter performers and watch the activity it generates.

It’s undemanding once established — give it warmth, moisture and a reasonably sunny position for best colour and flowering, and it will spread gradually into a weed-suppressing carpet that needs little attention. Trim it back occasionally to keep it compact and encourage fresh growth and bracts.

A natural front-of-border companion for heliconias and gingers — plant them together and the front-to-back layering of winter colour and bird activity looks after itself.