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How to Plant and Grow Morning Glories

Two delicate vivid blue and pink flowers of morning glory plant in a a garden in a sunny summer garden, outdoor floral background photographed with soft focus
Image Credit:
Cristina Ionescu/Shutterstock
Botanical Name
Ipomoea tricolor, I. purpurea
Grown as
Tender Perennial
USDA Zones
9a
9b
10a
10b
11a
11b
Toxicity
Toxic
Sun Exposure
Full Sun
Water Needs
Moderate
Height
6-10 feet
Spread
6-10 feet
Soil pH
Neutral
Bloom Time
Summer
Fall
Flower Color
Blue
Pink
Purple
Red
White
Special Features
Container-Friendly
Long Blooming
Low Maintenance
Attracts Butterflies
Attracts Hummingbirds
Attracts Pollinators
Deer-resistant
Resilience
Clay Soil Tolerant
Drought-Tolerant
Heat-Tolerant
Plant Type
Vines
Written By: Catherine Boeckmann Executive Digital Editor and Master Gardener

Early birds may get the worm, but morning glories steal the whole garden show with colorful trumpet-shaped flowers that delight pollinators of all sorts and romantic climbing tendrils that bring a dreamy vibe to porch railings, garden archways, and more. 

If you’re looking for a classic climbing plant for cottage gardens or simply want to add more pizzazz to vertical spaces, here’s why we love morning glories and growing tips on how to help these plants really shine!

NOTE:  This guide is about the annual morning glory (Ipomoea spp.), a popular annual vine. These plants are not to be mistaken for their perennial cousins, the field bindweed (Convolvulus arvensis), which is a very troublesome, invasive weed that’s native to Europe and Asia. 

Planting

When to Plant Morning Glories

Morning glories are sensitive to cool temperatures and late frosts, and are typically grown as tender annuals in most areas. To get the most out of these plants, direct sow seeds outdoors as early as possible after the danger of frost is over. Don’t be tempted to start morning glory seeds indoors — I tried this once and had vines trailing all over my plant shelves before it was even warm enough to transplant!

Purple Morning Glories

Where to Plant Morning Glories

Morning glories are full sun plants that need a minimum of 6 to 8 hours to bloom bountifully. They also crave rich, well-draining soil and require trellising or other support to keep their vines tidy. Growing spots that are sheltered from strong, drying winds are helpful too, as these spaces make it easier for pollinators to feed and help to protect delicate monring glory vines from wind damage.

Depending on your growing style, you can either train twining morning glory vines over a pergola, fence, trellis, or arch, or use them as a dense ground cover. Once established, morning glory vines can easily grow up to 10 feet long in one season—and they self-seed easily too — so you’ll want to plant wisely! 

How to Plant Morning Glories

  • To boost germination rates, scarify or gently file morning glory seeds just enough to break the outer coat. Then, soak the seeds for 24 hours before planting.
  • When you’re ready to plant, directly sow the seeds outdoors in your garden and lightly cover the seeds with 1/4-inch of earth. Space multiple seeds 6-inches apart and water thoroughly.
  • Seedlings should appear in about a week, although stubborn seeds may take 2 or 3 weeks to sprout.
  • If you want to grow morning glories in containers, choose a 3 to 5-gallon pot or grow bag that drains well and pot the seeds up using a rich potting mix or soil blend intended for raised bed gardening.

Growing

Watering

Morning glories are low maintenance and established plants only need supplemental water during particularly dry periods. New plantings and container-grown plants may need a bit more watering. Adding mulch over the soil line is an easy way to retain soil moisture levels and reduce watering, while keeping weeds at bay!

Fertilizing

Adding compost to planting sites before sowing morning glory seeds can help new plantings establish faster. After that, apply a balanced liquid fertilizer as needed, but take care not to overfertilize. Overly rich soil can cause vines to grow more foliage than flowers.

Pruning or Maintenance

Morning glories need support to keep their vines manageable. Vines will happily wind their way over trellises, pergolas, arches, netting, porch railings, and more. If desired, you can also skip the supports entirely and allow morning glory plants to trail over the ground.

If you don’t want plants to self-sow, pinch off the old flowers before they turn into seedpods. This can also encourage plants to rebloom.

Seasonal Care

In most areas, morning glory vines die back with the first frost and can be cleared away and composted when they do. If you live in a warm climate where morning glories grow perennially, cut back dead, damaged, and overgrown vines when the plant’s growth slows in winter, reduce watering, and skip fertilizing entirely until spring returns.

Purple morning glory vining over a wooden fence

Pests and Problems

Morning glories are fast-growing and are rarely bothered by pests or diseases to a significant extent.

Common Problems

  • Poor flowering may occur if morning glories are grown in low light conditions or overfertilized with high nitrogen fertilizers that favor leafy growth over flower development.
  • Aggressive spread can be prevented by deadheading flowers before they go to seed and pulling up volunteers in spring before their roots establish.

Common Pests

  • Aphids are small, sap-sucking insects that feed on morning glory plants and cause deformed leaf and flower growth and sooty mold. Small infestations can be knocked off with a strong blast of water, while more extensive infestations can be managed with organic insecticidal soap sprays or by companion planting morning glories with flowers that attract ladybugs and other predatory insects.
  • Leaf miners leave meandering blisters and lines on plant leaves after feeding, although the damage they cause is mostly cosmetic. The best way to manage these pests is to destroy infected leaves, weed thoroughly, and grow morning glories in a new section of your garden next year.

Plant Diseases

  • Rust is a fungal issue that can produce orange lesions on the underside of plant leaves and stems and leaf spotting on the upper leaf surfaces. Destroying infected plants, watering at the soil line, and disinfecting garden tools in between each plant you work with can keep this problem from spreading.
  • Fusarium wilt can cause plants to wilt during daylight hours, produce plant stunting, yellowing leaves, and potentially plant death too. To manage its spread, destroy infected plants, disinfect garden tools, and grow morning glories in a new area next season.

Types

Morning glories come in different colors, sizes, and bloom times, and mixing and matching a few different varieties can make your garden even more bewitching!

  • ‘Heavenly Blue’ are the classic morning glories with rich azure flowers and white throats. These plants climb to 12 feet.
  • ‘Scarlett O’Hara’ has bright red flowers with a white throat. It climbs to 15 feet.
  • Moonflowers are a night-blooming variety of morning glory with big trumpet-shaped, white blooms that moths and other nocturnal pollinators can’t resist!
'Heavenly Blue' morning glory
‘Heavenly Blue’ morning glory. Photo by Heike Loechel/Wikimedia Commons.

Wit and Wisdom

  • Morning glories are one of September’s birth flowers.
  • If you’ve ever grown sweet potatoes, you may notice a resemblance between their leaves and flowers and those of the morning glory. Unsurprisingly, the plants are related — they both belong to the genus Ipomoea.
  • Interestingly, morning glories can help predict the weather. Their flowers open wide in sunny conditions and close when rain and stormy weather draws nigh.
growing morning glories infographic

Flowers

About The Author

Catherine Boeckmann

Catherine Boeckmann

Executive Digital Editor and Master Gardener

Catherine Boeckmann loves nature, stargazing, and gardening so it’s not surprising that she and The Old Farmer’s Almanac found each other. She leads digital content for the Almanac website, and is also a certified master gardener in the state of Indiana.

Read more from Catherine Boeckmann

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Comments

<span>Lauren</span> Wed, 05/16/2018 - 17:34
Hey y’all, I am new to owning and caring for MG’s so I am In need of some pointers. I started the seeds in planters after soaking them for 24hours. They have started to sprout at what point can I move them to the ground?
<a title="View user profile." href="/author/editors">The Editors</a> Tue, 05/29/2018 - 15:50

Consider what size you might see them at a nursery—could be 8 to 12 inches high or so, so transplant them at about that size.

 <span>Candy</span> Tue, 04/10/2018 - 22:46
I bought a packet of seeds, but there were no instructions to soak the seeds first and I just planted them in full sun next to my fence. Soil is good and well drained, etc. The shoots have come up and they are about 3 inches tall now, but haven't done much else. It's been about 3 weeks since planting. How long before they really start growing and producing blooms? Would not soaking the seeds first affect them?
<span>Nancy</span> Sat, 04/21/2018 - 19:42
Oddly enough---they say morning glory plants are annual BUT I have been growing them for over 12 years and they reseed themselves. I started them on a trellis and they adapted to the southern ground---by late summer they were a mass of purple ground cover. I picked off the seed pods...and the next spring I literally threw them on the ground/ no soaking or cutting the pods? Sometimes something ate and pooped them out---so I had morning glory plants ALL over my yard. When I cut the grass, I would cut around the plants. I LOVE the morning glory awesome.
<span>Sam</span> Tue, 05/01/2018 - 10:23
Hi Nancy!, I saw where you said they reseed themselves. What zone are you in? I'm in middle TN (zone 7a) and I'm considering planting them along my fence but I'm afraid I'll have to replant them every year! Your post was very helpful!! Thank you!!! Samantha T.
<span>Christy</span> Tue, 03/26/2019 - 17:53
We are in Western Ky, and I've never had a problem with reseeding either Morning Glories or Moonflowers either one. (We're Zone 6B) They re-seed themselves easily, almost too easily in fact, Trying to keep them in one location is not easy, lol. Our back porch is covered with them, and I don't give them hardly any love, and they thrive. Just like other useful herbs like chickory and evening primrose, they seem to do better with less attention.
<span>Melinda</span> Wed, 04/11/2018 - 10:07
HI Candy, I planted seeds indoors and did not soak the seeds prior. I did not read that on the packet either. They are about 3 to 4 inches in growth. Just waiting to plant outside. I have been reading that they will begin to bloom in late summer to September sometime. Good luck..... I'm excited to see the blooms!!
<span>Angela</span> Sat, 06/16/2018 - 22:21
My son and I planted some last 6 days ago inside... they are 2" almost 3" tall already!!
<span>Carol</span> Tue, 04/10/2018 - 21:17
I soak my mg seeds overnite before putting them in a mix of seed starting potting starter mix and potting soil. it is amazing to me that you can almost watch them grow daily...the little leaves pushed thru a couple of days later..and I know I will have blooms and have my trellis already, just like last year..I live in an apt in new mexico and have my mg. roses and kitchen herbs. maevelous...when I lived in California my mgs grew like crazy. I love them...and they love water and sun.
<span>Jari Schockaert</span> Wed, 04/04/2018 - 15:34
Morning glory seeds are not toxic... They might cause nausea and mild visual hallucinations but this is when you eat like a 100 of them, but they certainly wont kill you neither will the minor hallucinations you experience either.