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Morning Glories

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Botanical name: Ipomoea

Plant type: Flower

Sun exposure: Full Sun

Soil type: Any, Sandy, Loamy

Flower color: Red, Pink, Blue, Purple, White

Bloom time: Summer, Fall

Morning glories are annual climbers with slender stems, heart-shaped leaves, and trumpet-shaped flowers in pink, purple-blue, magenta, or white. They have a beautiful shape before they unfold in the Sun and romantic tendrils that lend old-fashioned charm.

In warmer areas, train climbers over a pergola or arch, or use as dense groundcover. The vine grows quickly up to 15 feet in one season, and can self-seed fairly easily, too.

The flowers bloom from early summer to the first frost. Their big, fragrant, colorful flowers attract butterflies and hummingbirds.

Note that the seeds are highly toxic if ingested.

Planting

  • Grow annuals in a sunny, sheltered site. They need a lot of sun.
  • Plant in moderately fertile, well-drained soil.
  • Choose a site that is sheltered from cold or drying winds.
  • Sow Morning Glory seeds early in the season once the ground has warmed to 64 degrees F.
  • File the seeds just long enough to break the coat and soak them for 24 hours before planting them. (They look like little worms.)
  • Cover lightly with 1/4-inch of soil. Space about 6 inches apart. Water thoroughly.

Care

  • Apply a balanced liquid fertilizer after planting and monthly.
  • Support climbers and trailing species.
  • Morning glories are low-maintenance. Water during dry periods.
  • Mulch to retain moisture and avoid weeds.

Pests

  • White blister, rust, fungal leaf spots, stem rot, thread blight, charcoal rot, and wild occur.
  • Deer can be a nuisance.

Recommended Varieties

  • 'Heavenly Blue' are the classic morning glories with the rich azure (blue) flowers with white throats. It climbs to 12 feet.
  • 'Scarlett O'Hara' has bright red flowers with a white throat. It climbs to 15 feet.

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Photo credit: Audrey Lucas

Special Features

  • Attracts Butterflies
  • Attracts Birds

Comments

lots of foliage - no flowers.

By captev on June 8

lots of foliage - no flowers. Morning sun good drainage. Also would like to prune them. Any suggestions? BTW I'm in Phoenix. 100 + temps.

Wait. The flowers will come!

By firefli0523 on June 11

Wait. The flowers will come! Mine went CRAZY with long vines and went everywhere, I almost lost hope and then BOOM! Flowers everywhere. I wouldn't prune unless they are strangling another plant(mine tried to) or really getting in the way of something.

Our non Profit organization

By Plant lover forever on June 2

Our non Profit organization has a citywide beautification program, and We are planting morning glories plants in the Public view. We're asking our fellow neighbors to plant a Morning-glory plant in honor of someone they love. Morning glory flowers reminds us that every morning we should give God glory for another glorious day.

This spring I noticed that I

By Brenker on June 2

This spring I noticed that I have Morning Glories growing along my fence in a corner in my backyard. Since none of my neighbors seems to have them, I'm wondering where they came from. Could they have been propagated by seeds the birds may have dropped? Besides this peculiarity, would they be a good plant to encourage growth along my chain link fence?

Don't know were they could of

By Justin Blair on June 8

Don't know were they could of come from, but I love Morning Glories. I wish I had a fence to grow them. I live in a apartment and grow them in pots. They are a great plant to encourage. Especially if you have a fence for them to climb. They are low maintenance and very pretty when the flowers bloom.

Yes, morning glory (Ipomoea

By Almanac Staff on June 3

Yes, morning glory (Ipomoea tricolor) vines can self-seed quite prolifically. They great for chain link fences. They grow in just a few weeks -- and will grow to 10 to 15-feet-tall. Just beware of placement because they can take over!

At what time of day will

By Ann Murray on May 25

At what time of day will morning glories close? We have an afternoon wedding and hope they will stay open until the evening (5:00 p.m.) in September in PA. Hmmmm.

You might have luck with the

By tuna fish on June 15

You might have luck with the morning glory variety, moonflower. The flower is white and I believe they open mid-to-late afternoon.
http://files.shroomery.org/files/12-42/049929959-014.jpg

Morning glories open before

By Almanac Staff on May 28

Morning glories open before sunrise and usually close early afternoon. If you don't want to change the wedding to mid morning you may want to plant a different flower. 'Four O'clocks' Mirabilis jalapa open in late afternoon...

If I leave my morning glories

By Mike Timm on May 25

If I leave my morning glories in a pot....what do I do in fall/ winter... Cut vines and bring indoors?

Morning glories are annuals

By Almanac Staff on May 28

Morning glories are annuals and will not survive the winter months. Save some seeds and start new plants next spring.

I live in 5B zone. We planted

By Donna Abrams on May 23

I live in 5B zone. We planted morning glories from seed in our newly purchased green house . They are about an inch tall in the little cups. It says to plant the entire cup, but when shall I plant them? Thanks so much.

Wait until the seedlings are

By Almanac Staff on May 28

Wait until the seedlings are about 2 inches tall and the night temperatures don't dip below 40 degrees.

Do morning glories flower

By Tim Treece on May 23

Do morning glories flower better or do they need morning sun?

Morning glories prefer full

By Almanac Staff on May 28

Morning glories prefer full sun but will do well with bright morning sun and some shade in the afternoon.

I have the same problem as

By Connie komomua on May 21

I have the same problem as anonymous on May 18. Two to three inches and then they simply stopped growing. They have been siting there for three weeks now with no growth. Some are in pots and some are in the ground, the ones in pots are in full sun and the ones in the ground are in full to partial.

How can I control the mg?

By Joan glassmyer on May 23

How can I control the mg? They keep coming back and take over the front porch and garden. We pulled them out 1st year. Came back

First time grower

By Anonymous

I have been trying to grow Morning Glories on the chain link fence on my patio. I soak the seeds, plant them, they start to grow. They get to about three inches tall, bloom, then die, or some small critter eats all the leaves off it and they die. Any suggestions?

Morning Glories trailing down vs up?

By Anonymous

Will it matter if I let my morning glories trail down vs up? I would like to plant my seeds in a deep planter that hangs on the deck railing.... letting the vines cascade downward. Will this be a problem?

morning glories

By Anonymous on May 20

No. Morning Glories are beautiful planted in hanging baskets or window boxes. My sister grew her morning glories in a window box and let then grown down. Was a beautiful cascade of flowers.

morning glory seeds

By Anonymous

I read that before I plant morning glories I need to scratch the seed open and then soak for 24 hours. But when the natural seeds drop to the ground to re seed they, of course don't do that. Why can't I just plant the seeds.
Thanks

Well, you CAN. It's just that

By Anonymous

Well, you CAN. It's just that more will successfully germinate this way. The seed has kind of a hard coat, and the soaking/filing helps the plant to break through that.

Perennial vs Annual

By Anonymous

Hi, I'm interested in planting morning glories on a short fence to make a green wall. Which kind should I use to have the greenery year round and the flowers for as long as they bloom? I live in San Diego and they will get full sun. Or, do you have any other suggestions? I have a brown thumb and used to have the perennial which survived me! Thank you :-)

San Diego is really dry so I

By Jdjimison on June 10

San Diego is really dry so I would treat the soil or trade it out with some flowering soil from a garden center. Soak the seeds overnight like they say, and maybe ask the locals what balance of fertilizer they use based on experience with that. I don't remember seeing morning glories when I was there for a week, but if you search for native flowering vines or those recommended for all the variables (how far from the water, how high). They can't have a lot of wind so in my opinion it's a gamble but good luck!

morning glories

By Anonymous

hello,
i have been growing morning glories in my college dorm just for fun, and a while ago their leaves started to wilt and turn a pale yellow color. i thought it was because the plastic tub i was growing it in was constricting their roots. so today i reppotted them without disturbing the soil. but now im wondering if i may have been overwatering them? would that explain the pale yellow leaves and wilting?

Yellow leaves are due to over

By Anonymous

Yellow leaves are due to over watering, if you have a plastic pot it's probably not getting a good enough drainage. Only water when soil is dry. I have found if you water it to religiously, you will get vine growth but no flowers. Hope that helps!

Propigating Morning Glories by stem

By Anonymous

I live in a rental so I prefer to stay with plants I can take with me.Last year I had luck starting a plant by stem. I had read that you can basically start a new plant by just putting them in good potted soil with drainage and sun.Is this a normal thing to do,or did I just get lucky?

Unlikely with this kind.

By Jdjimison on June 10

Unlikely with this kind. These seeds grow fine and are easy to find anywhere. They do not survive past 1 year even indoors tho. They don't take long to fill a hanging basket tho, and one packet of seeds should fill several baskets. I would be prepared to move them indoor/outdoor tho bc they need lots of sun depending on the intensity in your area.

Toxic seeds

By Anonymous

I read that the seeds are very toxic is this true for dogs too? I want to plant in the dog run to grow along the back fence.

Morning glories are toxic if

By Almanac Staff

Morning glories are toxic if your dog ingests the plant or seeds. It is listed as a toxic plant for pets on the ASPCA website.

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