I live in Southern California and during the summer months we are lucky enough to enjoy morning glory (‘ipomoea’) in all of its blue, pink, white or violet finery. I have grown the flowering vine every year that we have lived in our current home—28 summers of morning glory!
My morning glories are more violet than blue---I really prefer the blue ones so I'll need to make sure I plant new "blue" seeds.
I was first introduced to the ease of growing these flowers years ago (before marriage) while visiting my dear friend, Linda. She was living with her parents at the time and her father grew morning glory in their back yard in Corona Del Mar. When I admired his vine filled with vibrant blue flowers, he explained that they were easy to grow and promptly gave me a 1 gallon container with seeds already planted.
Mine is just getting going and as you can see, I have an insect already nibbling on the leaves. I don't mind sharing but I wish they would eat the less noticeable leaves.
My husband and I bought our first home in Tustin and I was able to grow the morning glories from a pot, the vine grew around the patio post. In this Irvine house I grow them in the only sunny spot in my yard and they twine their way around the fence posts. They are listed in a popular book by retired L.A. Times Garden Editor, Robert Smaus, as a “pest plant” in his popular book, “52 Weeks in the California Garden”—but I still love them! When the little ‘starts’ pop up in the wrong spot in the yard they are very easy to pull up by the roots and eventually they stop coming around.
I've asked this angel to keep the bugs dining to a minimum!
There comes a time in the year when they start looking kind of sad and I simply pull them out, roots and all, when that happens (usually in late September).
Here is a sample of colors that I've seen---I believe they come in a variety of colors, including white.
Isn't this a beautiful shade of blue?
To plant: Buy seed from your local nursery or big box home improvement store. Soak the seed overnight. Sow the seed in a sunny location after danger of frost (spring). Sow them 2-3″ apart and cover with 1/2″ of fine soil. Once the seedlings pop their little heads out of the ground, thin to space them 1′ apart. Don’t over fertilize—this encourages growth of the vine and fewer flowers. I believe you will have fun with this easy to grow plant.
