A Season with The Irrepressible Morning Glory

Two caveats: 1) morning glories are considered annuals when grown in temperate latitudes that get a killing frost in autumn, like Detroit, Michigan, where I call home. In climates that get no frost, morning glories are treated as perennials, if not weeds. In Australia they have become problematic, crowding out other plants. In the southern part of my own country a species called the water morning glory, aka water spinach, has been labeled a Federal Noxious Weed. That means it is not to be cultivated in nor imported into the US. So the morning glory is best grown as an annual in the ‘rust belt.’

2) It is true that morning glory seed contains an hallucinogen similar to LSD. Aztec priests one tapped into that property, as some Native Americans once used peyote and magic mushrooms to help them become spiritually enhanced. But seeds sold in this country are coated with chemical preservatives that would ensure a bad trip; I shouldn’t have to say this, but don’t try to emulate the mezzo-American priests.

‘Heavenly Blue’ Morning Glory Seeds

This year i chose the Heavenly Blue variety because it is a hardy plant and produces bell-shaped blue flowers that look as if they were made with fine silk. In my State of Michigan, the rule of thumb is not to plant annuals before Mothers Day, because a spring frost is possible before then. I follow my weather channel desktop and put them in after the last overnight low hits 32 F. Morning glories are late bloomers here, delaying their fireworks until August and September, so I like to plant them as soon as possible.

You can also help get the seeds off to a quick start by scoring them with a knife (I’ve found that a steak knife works well) and then soaking them in water over night. Plant a quarter-inch deep in soil near something the maturing plant can climb. Outside porches are ideal. Some seeds still won’t germinate, so plant 4-6 in each spot. When the plants grow to about four inches in height, choose the heartiest one in each location and remove the rest- you will only need one.

Morning glories are natural climbers but sometimes need assistance finding the post you want your plant to climb. Some thread and a stick or two will solve that problem.

Young plant gets a thread, tied to a stick pushed into the ground and wrapped around a porch post, to guide it into position.

Morning Glories love sunny places. One thing I learned this year, since I moved into a house on a street that runs east-west, is that this plant prefers morning to afternoon sun. Compare the photo above, which got only afternoon sun, to the following shot, taken the same day, July 26, 2009.

In lale July, the east-facing plant is has not only begun climbing the post, but is taking over the guard rail

Morning Glories have a natural defense against herbivores- the leaves are alkaline, which sickens anything that might try to make a meal of them. Aphids may munch on the foliage but don’t do much damage before Lady bugs show up to make a meal of them. Once flowered, morning glories also attract bumble bees and even humming birds. There are two other characteristics about this plant. Once it is bathed in full sunlight it sends out curling, clinging tendrils that grow rapidly and wind themselves around anything available. The second is a property called twining, through which tendrils will wrap around each other.

An example of twining. August 3, 2009.

Blooms begin to appear in August and generally increase in number until the first hard autumn frost. They are well worth the gardiner’s patience.

A bloom faces the  morning sun, August 18, 2009

Photo of ‘Heavenly Blue’ in the shade. I fully expect to have 50-100 blooms per day before October frosts set in

Morning glories come in a varity of colors, as evidenced in the following photographs:

Other varieties

Morning Glories require somewhat more planning and work than other annuals, but true gardeners won’t mind and will be rewarded for their efforts.