Good Morning
Glories
It's almost spring time. I love planting seeds and watching them grow and bloom. Here is one of my favorites.
“Good Morning,
-------Glory,” is one of my friends favorite greeting, and morning
glories are one of my favorite flowers. They are fantastic, easy to
grow vines that have masses of large heart shaped leaves and big,
bright, eye-catching blossoms that really do seem to shout “good
morning.” I've spent many an early morning with a good cup of
coffee watching these delicate flowers unfold to the sunrise, all the
while knowing each one will be gone by mid-afternoon. But not to
despair, as there will be another group opening the next morning.
I
plant morning glories. I plant them in every corner, in every spot in
my yard that doesn't already have something else growing there. I
plant them to grow on the picket fence bordering my front yard, and
so they will grow on the post supporting my mailbox at the corner of
the driveway. I like to have the climbing the trellis on the corner
of the patio. I don't have a very big vegetable garden but there are
usually several volunteer morning glories on the garden fence. I had
had mounds of them along the edge of the lawn, and climbing trees and
even up shrubs and roses.
As
a child I resented having to do any yard work but I quickly learned
to admire the fast growing vines with their large leaves and
beautiful flowers. I was taught to grow them as a child and let my
son grow them when he was a small child. The seeds are large enough
for small hands to be able to see and hold, and the plants develop
fast enough that children can begin to understand how plants grow.
Last
summer I read everything I could find about growing morning glories
and decided to do some experimenting with them. I bought as many
different kinds as I could find seeds for and planned to grow them in
the ground and in pots. Morning glories or Ipomoea come in several
different colors. Heavenly Blue is the all time favorite, its blue
flowers being four to five inches across. There is, also, Scarlet
O'Hara in red and the white Pearly Gates. The three make a beautiful
red, white and blue showing for the Fourth of July. Other colors
include shades of pick and purple and some that are striped.
These
vines are considered annuals, meaning they only last one summer
season. Sometimes they come back from the many seeds the flowers
produce, but it is usually best to reseed to get the colors you want.
Starting plants from seed can be done either directly into the ground
after all danger of frost is over or they can be stared about six
weeks ahead of time in peat pots that can be put directly into the
soil of the flower bed without disturbing the plant roots. The plants
don't do as well if grown in plastic pots and then pulled out as they
don't like having their roots disturbed. When planting either in the
ground or in pots they should be planted ½ inch deep after being
soaked overnight or for about four hours in water. I found it is not
necessary, as some books and seed packs recommend that the seed
should be scarified or nicked with a small file or fingernail
clippers before soaking. If you do decide to do this hold the seed
between thumb and forefinger and nick the pointed end. Avoid damaging
the rounded end as that is where the plant embryo is located.
Morning
glories are called twiners, meaning they go round and around the
first upright support they come in contact with. They have growing
tips that are very sensitive to tell them where to climb. Strangely
enough, they usually move in a counter-clockwise movement. If the tip
finds a horizontal or lengthwise object, it will try to avoid it and
“feel” for a vertical object to climb. And climb they do. They
try to climb on anything but do best with a little help. Chain link
or open wooden fences work well, as do trellis, lattice, and even
chicken wire. Special nails or hooks with glue can be used on
cinderblock walls and houses, along with a grid of criss-crossed
string. They grow very quickly, reaching twelve to fifteen feet in a
season. In World War 11, in parts of southeast Asia, morning glories
were used by the British to camouflage ammunition dumps and gun
emplacements because they grew so fast. You can use them to screen
unsightly garbage cans or fences or your neighbors yard.
Remember
that morning glories don't like rich soil that has been heavily
fertilized. Living in New Mexico I already knew they did well in our
hot, dry climate with its poor soil. They should do well anywhere
they don't get to much water. I add a little compost from my organic
compost pile to the area I want to grow the flowers in, but not as
much as you would with most flowers, trees, and shrubs. Don't add any
fertilizer, either, or you may find you have nice long vines with
wonderful leaves but no flowers. The same with watering your morning
glories. They prefer low to moderate watering and will rot and die
quickly if over watered.
I
have never been overly bothered with any kind of insect pest on my
morning glories, which is great for us organic gardeners. No
spraying, or bug picking. I did have a friend who said she had some
problems with powdery mildew in humid weather. I have not encountered
this problem.
If
you think you want to try growing morning glories but don't want a
vine, I have several seed packets for plants in a dwarf or bush
style. They are usually pink, blue, or red with a white throat, and
are very showy in pots or hanging baskets.
After
you have planted your morning glory seeds, sprinkle a packet of
portulaca, cosmos, or marigold seed in your flower bed or large
container. These annual flowers will add more color and take about
the same care and watering. I planted sunflowers with some morning
glories. The sunflowers provided support for the vines and the blue
and gold mixture of flowers was very colorful at the end of our long
hot summer when everything else seemed to have weathered and dried
out from the heat.
I'm
searching the seed catalogs for new verities and color for this year.
Hope you'll try a morning glory garden, too.
