How big to Convolvulus get?

I planted a couple of Convolvulus seeds a while ago, wanting to see how these "bush morning glories" would grow.
Online accounts of their growth habits largely contradicted each other - some said that they spread a lot, others that they just sat there and never filled in - so I guessed at a pot size, and gave them 6-inch diameter homes.

Mine have been doing pretty well under the lights, and I'm wondering if this was the right size pot for these little plants. About how much room do these things usually want, and can I expect them to keep spreading, or will they eventually "top out" in size?

One of the plants has produced a handful of buds on one of its stems. Is this an indication that it won't get much longer, or are they like morning glories, in that they make blooms, but just keep growing?

hi from Las Vegas~
the size will depend on the variety of Convulvus you have; as well as indoor or outdoor kept...some get as big as 2ft x3ft wide, and others only 6 inches high, and 9-15 inches wide. oneorum is the bigger and sabatius the traling smaller type. You probably have Convulvus tricolor (most commonly found) if its leaves are green & lance shaped like in the picture you posted, that's it I'd guess and it is one of the smaller varieties.

Hi Seamus_tt,

fernman23 gave you some good feedback which I will supplement with some additional observations...

The plant you both have posted is Convolvulus tricolor and conflicting reports on the web are often related to confusion regarding the correct species being addressed as the common appellation of 'bush Convolvulus' and/or 'bush MG' can refer to at least several different species in various genera...

The actual degree of spreading and topping out can be relative to the particular strain as well as specific growing conditions...some plants will produce stems that will trail along the ground in a basic horizontal position and then rise up somewhat vertically...either continuing to produce new flowerbuds as the seedpods develop and/or by producing supplementary additional stems from the base of the plant...

The flower buds are produced in axial areas usually closer to the distal end of the stem rather than to the basal portion and this is one of the reasons that I find that a planting of groups of these plants for somewhat of an " en masse" effect can produce a more striking visual effect than that of solitary specimen plants ...the long rectangular planters have shown to be well suited for the "en masse" effect...

Hope that helps,

TTY,...

Ron

Thanks for the info.

When I first transplanted the sprouts, I was worried that I had over-potted them, since the little leaf clusters looked a bit lost in the middle of their pots. Of course, they started growing and spreading, until they seemed to stabilize at about the size they are now, just big enough to reach the edges. Then when they started sending the stems out sideways, I began to wonder if I hadn't actually under-potted them, and wasn't sure if I'd have a couple of monsters on my hands before they were done growing. I suppose that I could trim them to keep them in check, but I want to see flowers eventually, and not just keep lopping off the bits that will eventually make blooms. With this information, and the fact that I've started to get buds on some of the stems now, I think they'll probably be fine.

Thanks again!

The Convolvulus tricolor are also well suited for hanging(!) planters...so let the side branches grow(!) and hang them up if you have someplace that is suited for an aerial display.....

Thanks Ron, for helping go where I had not been able to get! My experience with these have been poor as Las Vegas is a poor growing area, due to the heated Summers, so I only have a bit of experience and knowledge on those~I mostly use the climbing MG's, where I get flowers in Spring and the a huge 2nd bloom season in Fall with hundreds of seeds in Jan-Feb. Talk about reseeding, lol. Again, Thanks for helping out Seamus_tt also I think that the size of the planters will be good, for hanging or sitting on a porch corner??
~namaste~

Hi - back with another question.

I've been keeping an eye on the first buds that my Convolvulus plants produced, and this morning, I had two little blooms!
I was a bit surprised at how small the flowers are, since I'm used to morning glories that produce blooms that are at least 2 to 3 inches in diameter, and almost all of the photos I've found of Convolvulus tricolor online have nothing in the picture for scale. Is this about normal size for Convolvulus blooms?

Both of my plants are doing well, and have really taken off in the last week or so.
Thanks for the advice and information!

As I recall they are smaller but bloom longer and in more profusion (?) ...Ron?...

The Convolvulus tricolor usually produce flowers ranging from 1" up to 2" (inches...average is approximately 1.25-1.5 inches...the exact size can vary with individual strains and batches of seeds and so selecting your seeds from only those plants that produce the largest flowers may be worth it if you really like the overall form,color and pattern...

TTY,...

Ron

P.S. - Here are the Convolvulus tricolor in the PlantFiles
http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/adv_search.php?searcher%5Bcommon%5D=&searcher%5Bfamily%5D=&searcher%5Bgenus%5D=Convolvulus&searcher%5Bspecies%5D=tricolor&searcher%5Bcultivar%5D=&searcher%5Bhybridizer%5D=&search_prefs%5Bblank_cultivar%5D=&search_prefs%5Bsort_by%5D=genus&images_prefs=both&Search=Search

Seamus-Thanks for posting the scale pic. I am growing some right now as a trial, so we'll see after they start doing their thing.