Some flowers ignore you and go their own way
I know Morning Glory (Ipomoea) is a weed for some of you in warmer climates but here in the UK it’s an exotic wonder. I’ve been growing them for a number of years with varied results. This has mostly been down to our recent cool wet summers and the dreaded slug attack. In 2004, during a relatively hot summer I had a wonderful display of them, including my favourite Ipomoea ‘Heavenly Blue’ which is in one of my rotating blog headings.
Ipomoea 'Heavenly Blue'
However, for the last four years I have struggled to get sufficient flowers. I germinate the seeds in a heated propagator and nurture the plants in the greenhouse. Eventually when they are 3 feet tall I plant them outside in late June. They then proceed to sulk in the cool temperatures, hang limp in the rain, die back or get eaten. The sun appears and they grow an inch or two. I talk nicely to them, I shout at them, I beg them to flower but I’m ignored. If I see the occasional flower I’m lucky. I’ve grown named varieties and mixed colour packs and it makes no difference.
YET – IN A PARALLEL UNIVERSE THEY ARE THRIVING!!
The parallel universe is a small raised bed under my Ginko tree (planted way to close to the house but heavily pruned because I don’t want to lose it). Here my Morning Glories are 8 feet tall, and there are lots of plants tangled up together. They have seeded there for the last five years and flower without fail come rain or shine. It’s lovely to see them but so exasperating. Why do they do so well here? This year I’ve also got seedlings coming up in other parts of the garden too but they are not so well established.
Ipomoea growing up the Ginko tree
Once the plants start climbing the Ginko they just keep going. There are 25 flowers at the moment.
Ipomoea looking smug!
Perhaps this is a new strain that ignores cool weather, who knows. They are still flowering now (October) while the plants I cherished in the greenhouse are long gone. Most of them are this colour.
Purple Ipomoea
But now a pink one has appeared.
Pink Ipomoea
Also a pale blue one.
Pale blue Ipomoea
Next year I’m tempted to scatter the seeds around the garden and let them look after themselves.
8 comments
Maybe they don’t like to be shouted at? Or perhaps the sudden temperature change gives them a shock from which they never recover. Be interesting to see what happens if you do let them take care of themselves, the tempermental things. If you’re not willing to go that far, you could seed a few outside, pamper some others, and see which fares better.
Anyway, they do look gorgeous.
I haven’t heard about morning glory being a weed over on this side of the Atlantic, just bindweed. (??)
–Kate
I love Morning Glory – and in my last garden the self seeders did very well – the carefully nurtured less well. My Mum always thought I was mad to grow coloured bindweed
Yours are lovely – with the variety in colours as well!
K
oh – oh – oh – I just realized that I am reading you through Blotanical – you got your feeds sorted then
K
again
themanic gardener – My shouting is more pleading! I agree that it’s the temperature that is at fault, I just can’t work out why the seeders don’t suffer in the same way.
Karen – Obviously my MG problem is not just down to me (sigh of relief that I’m not totally incompetent). They are lovely aren’t they. I’ll be trying ‘Heavenly Blue’ again next year despite my failures
I can’t grow them for some reason. Is that area under the tree dry and the other more moist? I love three different blooms and it must grand all mixed together.
I was wondering about dry-ness too. The raised bed may be significant.
I used to grow them very successfully in an almost totally dry (hot) spot right up against the house where the soil was poor.
Where I live now, the only feasible place would be at the front but the seeds are poisonous so I’ve desisted. (There are more children in this street than there are ants.)
Esther
Anna & Esther – I would have said dryness too except they are self seeding in two other parts of borders which are not raised just “ordinary soil”. It’s as if the self seeding makes the plants stronger in some way or they are able to regulate their growth better. At least I’m reaping the benefit!
I think you’ve hit the nail on the head there as a planting philosophy EG – let the plants look after themselves.
You asked about my Moonfire Dahlia over at my place. Spectacular isn’t it? Yes, I do leave it in the ground – you’re looking at its fourth year of flowering. I give it a very thick mulch after cutting down for winter protection and watch out for slugs around the area at sprouting time, usually May. Apart from that it looks after itself!
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