Wild Petunia ( Ruellia caroliniensis)

Ruellia caroliniensis or wild petunia is native to the southeast and I have it all over the place, in the lawn, in the flower beds, in the overgrown edges, sun and shade. If it were not such an aggressive spreader, I would be wild to cultivate it, as it is pretty and starts blooming early, keeping on right through the heat of summer. It is a drought tolerant perennial and pulling it out does little to control it as the stems snap off at the base and it regrows, soon blooming again and making more seed.
However, I have to admit, it is pretty. There is no doubt that I will never be without it, like it or not.

Turk's Cap Hibiscus

 

This is a carefree drought tolerant perennial I have had for years. I pulled it from an overgrown bed at the base of a tree in south Alabama, but it thrives in zone 8 wonderfully. In fact, most years I pull out what I don't want to keep the clump in bounds. Turk's cap hibiscus is in its full glory now and attracts clouds of butterflies, primarily yellow sulfurs as well as migrating hummingbirds.
It is a hibiscus (clue- see the fancy stigma sticking out beyond the petals), even though it's petals will never unfold. I have seen these plants in South Alabama with much larger flowers than mine and think that mine may be either a wild plant or else the larger ones are hybrids. At any rate they are beautiful this time of year and reqire almost no care. Besides, they are a pleasant break from the sea of mums that accost us this time of year.