Morning Glory
Ipomoea mauritiana
Morning glory is a classic cottage-garden annual that’s long loved for its constant display of colorful, trumpet-shape blossoms all summer and into fall. ‘Heavenly Blue’ is a classic variety with sky blue flowers, but there’s a wealth of other selections to choose from that produce flowers in a whole range of colors, including red, orange, pink, purple, and white. Some even have playfully variegated foliage.
Most morning glories are vines with rich green foliage and a plethora of flowers that grow fast in hot weather and cover structures like fences, trellises, and arbors.
Note: Some varieties of morning glory have a tendency to self-seed and can be a little weedy in the garden.
Light:
Sun
Type:
Height:
From 3 to 20 feet
Width:
5 to 20 feet
Foliage Color:
Seasonal Features:
Special Features:
Zones:
10-11
Propagation
garden plans for Morning glory
Growing Morning Glory
There are many ways to utilize these colorful, carefree vines in your yard. Use them to quickly cover up an unsightly chain-link fence, for example. Or grow them on a trellis to provide a living privacy screen for your deck, patio, or balcony. They also create a lovely backdrop for the back of the border.
Morning glories are delightful by themselves but create an especially magical quality when different varieties are mixed. Don't be afraid to try growing them with other fast-growing annual vines, such as mandevilla, black-eyed Susan vine, scarlet runner bean, hyacinth bean, or passionflower.
Morning Glory Care
Morning glories grow best—and blossom most prolifically—in full sun, so be sure to plant them where they'll get at least 8 hours of direct light per day during the growing season. Once established they're somewhat drought-tolerant, but the plants look best if watered regularly. Otherwise, their large, heart-shape leaves have a tendency to wilt during the heat of the day.
Spreading a 2- to 3-inch-deep layer of mulch over the soil after you plant them will help keep weeds at bay and allow the soil to stay moist longer so you have to water less often.
If you live in an area with short summers, it's helpful to plant morning glory seeds six to eight weeks before your last expected frost date in spring to help give them a head start on the season. Otherwise, purchase transplants from your local garden center and put them out after all danger of frost has passed.
Morning glories don't usually require pruning except in fall after frost has killed the foliage. But if the plants start to grow larger than you want and get out of hand, you can prune them back during the growing season without harm.
More Varieties of Morning Glory
'Heavenly Blue' morning glory
A classic variety, this fast-growing vine can climb to 12 feet and produces massive numbers of large, sky blue flowers. Annual
'Glacier Blue' morning glory
This variety shows off stunning silvery-blue flowers with French blue stirpes. It climbs to 15 feet. Annual
'Grandpa Ott' morning glory
This heirloom selection boasts masses of small dark purple flowers all summer long. It climbs to 15 feet. Annual
'Scarlett O'Hara' morning glory
Scarlett O'Hara morning glory produces masses of reddish-pink flowers. It climbs to 15 feet. Annual