A real newbie question

Hi all, I am in zone 7b/8a and my property backs up to open pastures. Along our fenceline in the summers are lots of "wild" MG type vines -- they are terribly invasive. I love the flowers -- especially some of the named varieties -- and am tentatively thinking of planting some, but am wary. Will MG be as invasive and hard to control as these wild ones? Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated!!

lizren,
The common-type Morning Glories such as any Ipomoea purpurea and the larger blooming types and Japanese Morning Glory Types, Ipomoea nil, are not invasive.

You are missing out on a whole new world by not growing these beauties.

What kind of Natives do you have growing?

Emma

Thanks for the info and the encouragement Emma! I am so ready to try some of them because the larger flowers are so beautiful, but I just wasn't sure if I was going to be regretting it in a few years. I received some Ipomoea purpurea in a trade, so I will definitely plant them.

The natives I have are a very pale blue/white with blooms that are no more than 1.5 inches in diameter. They just come back everywhere each year, sometimes choking out other things I try to grow near the fence -- though last summer was so droughty that even they didn't do well :-) I will have to pay more attention to them this year. They aren't as pretty as some of the MGs I have seen elsewhere, and the flowers aren't as large.

Do your blooms look like this?
Jacquemontia tamnifolia
http://davesgarden.com/pf/showimage/87920/
http://davesgarden.com/pf/showimage/52028/

or this?
Ipomoea hederacea
http://davesgarden.com/pf/showimage/128802/
http://davesgarden.com/pf/showimage/7763/

The I. hederacea is larger than you have described, but the Jacquemontia blooms are about 1.5" in 'clusters'.

Emma

Emma, the blooms look more like the ipomeoa hederacea, but with a pit paler color. Perhaps the blooms are larger than I reported -- maybe more like 2.5 inches in diameter. They are definitely not clustered; and they act like a MG in that the blooms are often closed up by midday if not earlier... They are very pretty in the mornings...

Hi lizren, welcome to morning glories! They are a lot of fun, indeed!

Joseph

Hi Liz, nice to see you branching out from our Charlie & the Chocolate Factory swap. Emma very kindly sent some seed my way a few weeks ago, so I can split the bonus of Chocolate morning glory seed I received from The Fragrant Path - http://www.fragrantpathseeds.com/ - between you and Mary. Am dmailing germination instructions to you. You will never look at another morning glory the same way after you grow these - mwa-haha

Lizren,
It does sound like you have ipomeoa hederacea, but maybe Ron or someone else can give you a better confirmation based on where you live. I was only going to suggest that if it were either of the two I listed, they come back each year by re-seeding. If you don't want them there you can pull up the seedlings each year before they start vining and grow your other MGs on your fence.

Emma

Lizren,

Welcome! As you have already witnessed, this group is very helpful.

I live in Lower Alabama, and I have Ipomoea hederacea growing in this county (Baldwin). We have both leaf forms (Ivy and heart shaped) growing here. Here is the heartshaped or cordate leaf variety: http://davesgarden.com/pf/showimage/125105/ and this one comes from an ivy leafed plant:
http://davesgarden.com/pf/showimage/125101/

All of ours are blue with white throat. Is this the color pattern of your fence dwellers?

Hope this helps... - Arlan

I'm glad I found this thread! I have wild MGs growing throughout my woods. They don't flower much, but I think it's because the foliage is so dense in the woods that they don't get much sun. I checked the plant files and I couldn't locate one that looks like mine. They are pink and white striped.

The stripes look like I. Sydney (not that color) and the color is closer to I. Purpurea (Pink Rambler). I don't have any pics that I'm aware of. I'll have to do some digging.

Hi MsKatt,

Sounds like you have Pink Bindweed.
There are many species.

http://www.berkshirewildflowers.com/images/Pink%20Hedge%20Bindweed.GIF
http://cricket.biol.sc.edu/herb/CC/Calystegia_sepium2.jpg

These links are from Michigan State University
http://www.msuplants.com/pd.asp?pid=2935
http://www.msuplants.com/pd.asp?pid=2936

Pretty Photo
http://www.msuplants.com/pd_bigpic.asp?pid=2936&pic_id=pic7


Ron or someone else can probably tell you which species you have based on your area.

Emma

Oh, Emmagrace! It looks exactly like the first picture. Darn MSU calls it a weed!! Thanks for the help,
Michelle

Michelle....

aaaah, what one calls a 'weed' is a 'treasure' to others.

Emma

Thanks guys for all the help and information!

Bluespiral -- thanks for the instructions. Good to see you over here as well. I am appreciative of all the help! Just learning and experimenting with so many things this season...

Arlan -- I think what I have has the heart shaped leaves, and it definitely appears that I have Ipomoea hederacea along the fence... so I guess I'll watch out for self seeding! I know exactly where Robertsdale is -- I worked for the Mobile paper years ago as an intern, and covered several stories there....

Can't wait to start in on some intentionally planted morning glories! Elizabeth