Pretty enemy

These have got to be the prettiest flowers I've ever hated. They're everywhere. I'm ripping them out this winter. I know that Ron says it's a rare kind of flower but omg it just will not die.

its a pretty bloom and only this year have i let blue dawn take over a spot. but i let it go so it did get rampant. and seems it touched dirt it roots.


very pretty pic though

Why is it rare?

Well I mentioned once that I had gotten this from a package of mixed seeds (I still can't think of where else I could have gotten them). Anyway, Ron said that this type of mg wouldn't have come from a mixed seed packet because it rarely if at all puts off seeds. And I have to agree on that. I've only seen one seed pod on it anywhere and this is the second year with it. It lives under my porch during the winter and crawls out in the spring and takes over during the summer then retreats to its winter home when it gets cold. I fight it tooth and nail just to keep it from taking over the wheel chair ramp and the rest of the porch. It creeps out into the lawn, up through the cracks in the porch and walkway and all over the rest of the flowers. I think I just need to be a lot more aggressive with it next year.

That was a picture from last year. It's far worse this year. I haven't seen the yellow cannas this year at all.

AuntAnne - Wow! That vine loves your garden, doesn't it?! Very pretty I. indica that's for sure! Love all the blooms all over it! But I can see how aggressive it is in your garden. Not good.

I have some that I am growing in a 5 gallon container. I am using the 3 pole teepee set-up. I am training mine into a standard-like topiary. I saw how aggressive it grew when I first got the plant from Emma. It is definitely one that you have to keep an eye on and prune, prune, prune. (Or at least wrap around and around itself at the top so it doesn't wander off. lol Mine seems to grow 6" a day ... no lie! Unbelievably fast growing!

Maybe come Spring when yours start sprouting, you could dig a few up and tranplant them to a container and then remove and destroy the rest to clean up your garden bed.

Here is a photo of mine in the container.

6 inches a day sounds perfectly correct to me. I know just how it can be. I will be using a stronger mix of round up on it next year. I forgot to mention that it also is growing up between the siding and the house and out around the windows and just below the roof.

This message was edited Sep 13, 2009 11:32 AM

AuntAnne - Oh my! Is that it along the rafters on the underside of the roof? Wow! That's pretty scary!

Your garden is beautiful and I love the wooden walkway! You have bit of paradise there!

Be careful using round-up. I've used that stuff and the spray blew over to other plants and made a dying mess of my garden. I would definitely try to tame that beast of a vine by containing some in a single pot. I think you just can NOT cut it loose in your garden bed. Pruning seems to keep mine from getting too crazy and trying to wander off to take over the world. I am hoping mine is able to remain well-behaved. I love the blooms which stay open for most of the day ... even in full sun and heat here! :-) So I am going to stay vigilant with mine and see what develops. I think it is a vine that is an asset to have in a garden under close supervision and grown in a container. :-)

Good luck next year trying to rid yourself of most of the volunteers!

The other good thing about training it into a standard form ... I can see whether any vines are growing downward towards the ground ... so that I can rewrap around the poles or cut the vine off to keep it inbounds where I want it to be.

Just my .02 cents worth of ideas.

wow... it can come take over my garden if it wants :) lol...

It is beautiful I agree but as you can also see extremely invasive. And yes Becky this is most of what you see across the top of the arbor. I have one small start of Grandpa Ott but the rest is this other blue one.

I love morning glories I planted them all over the chain link fence it gives privacy and looks amazing all summer and they even like part shade that way the blooms stay open all day wow amazing vine