Morning Glory Supports

What is a good way to support your Morning Glory? I only had one this
summer, and it came up by itself 'Scarlet Ohara'. It grew on my deck. The
flowers were very pretty, but I didn't like it sprawling all over my deck. I don't
have any arbors, but was thinking maybe a shepard's hook. How would it
grow on that? Any other ideas. I plan to grow more next summer.

You could try an old bench such as my Sweet Autumn Clematis is taking over. I am sure that MGs would eat this bench and not even burp! LOL!

But most likely you'll want a structure of some sort for them to climb up. Since I grow most of my vines either along the property fence on trellises mounted to the inside of the fence or I grow them in pots, here is what they look like in a pot with several Bamboo Posts. :-)

http://davesgarden.com/community/blogs/i/50129/

I though MG'S get to big for pots. Do you have to trim that a lot?

Nope. I just keep winding the top of the vines around the top of the Bamboo Poles. I grow mainly I. nils in pots. And I usually grow one or two I. purpureas in a pot each year, too. Actually, the very few species MGs I have, are also in pots! I guess I grow very few of them in the ground each year. LOL! 1 or 2 vines per pot of the same cultivar works the best! :-)

Here is a photo link to how they look when wrapped around the top of the poles. :-)
http://davesgarden.com/community/blogs/i/36572/

I am currently growing them in 5 gallon containers that aren't as attractive as the pots.

This message was edited Oct 25, 2009 9:58 PM

So the MGs on my deck must have been several vines to get
so big. My next door neibhor has a big MG. It must be more
than 1 plant also. I should take a picture of hers. All mine are
dried up now.

It depends on what you were growing. I. purpureas can get quite large. The size also depends on how long the vines live. The longer they live, the bigger they get. If you have had that vine show up before in previous years and it bloomed and produced seeds, chances are the seeds fell to the ground and sprouted to give you a show this year. But if not, then it could be just one vine! A monster vine! :-)

Great shot of yours Becky.... Now paint those buckets.... to match the MG color...LOL

Janet

Janet - You know ... I keep trying to figure out how I can decorate those containers to make them look nice. I just can't come up with anything that would work. I know that I could buy some paint that would cover plastic (which is what the containers are made of), but not sure if it would be much of an improvement in appearance. Any ideas?

paint it with a design like this on the bucket after you give it another base paint color.

Janet

Janet - Very pretty!!! I like my white containers because it doesn't absorb the heat. Not sure what other light color I could paint them. Maybe a pale green or tan? Something that might blend into the garden a little better? I haven't an artistic bone in my body though ... your painting is lovely!

I did this. It's not a new picture but it's also a thought. If you want I'll take one of it now. This was earlier in the year.

This message was edited Oct 26, 2009 11:10 PM

Becky, you don't really have to paint them another color as the white is fine, or a light tan then contact your local art school and see if any of the students there want a project to do that they could put in their portfolio. You supply the paint they supply the talent...

I wish I could take credit but that was a paint job by a gal in my garden club. I traded the paint job on my pot for a plant stand that I picked up that she had admired. She was happy and I was happy.


AuntAnne, I love the livestock panels, such a cheap and very effective way to create a setting in the garden. Next year I'm planning a 60 foot long trail with them for my newly acquired MG to climb on.

Janet

Beckygardener and AuntAnne, thanks for the ideas. Your MG's
are so pretty. I was only going to plant Flying Saucers MGs next
year, but now I have to grow other colors. I really like the blue ones.

AuntAnne - My dh and I just built a livestock panel arch for my school butterfly garden and it turned out very nice. :-) I will be planting Passiflora vines on it for the Gulf Fritillary and Zebra Longwing butterfly. What MG vines do you have growing on yours? It looks like either Blue Dawn or Heavenly Blue MGs.

Meadowyck - There is not an art school anywhere near me unfortunately. And the local public schools probably wouldn't take on such a project as I know some of the art teachers and know what kind of displays they do every year for the Art Festival. But maybe just painting them a light green would make them blend in more with the garden beds instead of the bright white that stands out like sore thumb. LOL! Thanks for those suggestions. :-)

Ron on the mg forum has said but I don't remember right off. They're a type that doesn't set very many if any seeds. In the 2 yrs. that I've had it I've only seen one seed pod. They're also perennial and live under my deck in the winter. Also very, very, extremely, relentlessly (get the picture?) invasive. I swear that if you stood there long enough you could see them growing. I have to trim that arbor at least once a week. But yes it is very pretty.