Moonflowers

I would love to read about your experience growing Moonflower vines. (I. alba)

This is only my second year growing them ...

This year I have observed that very few bloomed until it got a little cooler. I always thought that they liked the warm summer temperatures. But now I am not so sure...

I have them growing in several places this year. They have bloomed in all places, but seem to bloom much more profusely in areas of full sun. Is that the growing conditions they do best in?

Do you get lots of seed pods on your vines? It seems to be sporadic here.

Becky, I haven't had the best experience for growing MF that's for sure...I have both stared it from seed and bought plants for several seasons now and neither has been very successful for me.

This summer was the first season for me that I saw a flower. I started seed inside in April that came from Arlan. Only a few flowers and then nothing. No seeds produced at all.

Each time I tried them they were planted in different locations in the yard, some in pots, some in the ground. They aren't on my to do list this summer!! LOL

Becky - love your scrap book page! Those moonflowers look like they're made of satin. Lovely.

I started some moonflower vines this year, but they didn't survive our wet cold spring. I'll try again next year; I'm determined to have some.


Joanne

Becky, love that scrap book.. I grew Moonflowers last year and the year before, and each year was in a different location.. they did better on the south fence than they did on the west fence, and produced big huge seed pods..
unfortunately, I did not have a camera then, and they always bloomed at night into early am.. I loved them as they were fantastic to gaze at while sitting on the patio at night. I have enjoyed watching yours and they have been awsome! Thanks!

Thanks for the compliment on my scrapbook page for Moonflowers. LOL! I didn't want to post a whole bunch of photos, so figured one photo (scrap page) would suffice. And of course it makes it more interesting to look at! LOL!

Hmmm ... interesting info that you have each shared.

One thing that I have noted is that Moonflowers grow best for me in the ground or in a very large pot. I suspect they have a large root system because they are of course a larger vine. During the entire Spring/Summer, the seeds and seedlings seemed to poke along. Then as the weather cooled just a little bit, they started blooming! I never thought it would take them that long to germinate and bloom.

The ones growing up the arbor were planted at the end of August and seemed to do much better. Not sure if it is because they are getting much more sun or what. But the cool temps seem to have them happily blooming. When I say cool, I mean low 80's/high 70's days and 60's/50's at night. I did notice some of the leaves are toasted from the 50's night temps, but all-in-all the 2 vines are thriving at this point and producing blooms nightly! :-)

Ronnie - Did you grow yours in pots? If so, were they small pots or larger ones?

Debra - Saying that they grew better on the south fence makes me believe that they do indeed prefer a sunny location.

Thanks for sharing everyone! :-)

Becky, I am a first timer with moonflowers this year but had a wonderful experience and was so pleased that I will definitely grow them for years to come. I can tell you a bit about my moonflowers and maybe you can glean some useful information from it.

I had 6 moonflower plants growing on posts off my due North front patio. Because of the location, the plants got some direct morning sun and then direct late afternoon sun, otherwise no direct sun during the day. I was concerned initially because I thought like MGs they may need more sun, but mine did so well that I guess that is not the case (at least not here). However, it was a very hot summer (even for Texas) and I noticed that as soon as it heated up (close to unbearable- upper 90s-lower 100s) the plants really took off and grew very fast. They were grown in pretty neutral pH soil amended the previous fall with homemade compost/soil conditioner and horse manure. The seeds were planted in May.

As a first timer, I was very worried when the vines became huge (>10-12 feet) but no signs of blooms. I thought I had gotten duds or the plants didn't like the 'little direct sun' location. However, in August I began to see blooms and once they started blooming I had tons of bloom on each plant every day. So I learned to be patient with this plant - it is a late bloomer. Even now in Novermber, they are STILL blooming (because we are having a warm fall and no freezes yet)!

When I watch the plants (yes I'm a gardening geek) there are many pollinators - wasps, bees, hummingbirds, variety of moths. I don't use pesticides but had several resident preying mantids that kept everything in check. I have tons of nice seed pods ( I am picking about 10 fully ripe/dry pods each day now - let me know if you'd like a few seeds) thanks to the pollinators.

As for water, I found these to be very low maintainance. Because of the little direct sun on the soil in that location, I may have only watered these every 2 weeks or so. No specific schedule, just when the top soil appeared to be really dry.

I don't know if any of this is helpful, but what I take from my experience is that they like warm temperatures but may not necessarily need direct sun, water sparingly rather than constant moist soil, and use a nice fertile soil (I planted 3 seeds off the same patio but with unammended soil and the plants were puny and never took off -the fertilized plants were 12 feet while the unfertilized plants were ~1ft).

Good luck and happy gardening!

Stacey

Becky,
I have been growing these beauties for years and for me they are always a late bloomer when the temps start to drop. As Stacey mentioned, they do grow fast in the summer heat. I have learned that in my area they grow best on the north side of my property. After they begin blooming, they will send out shoots from the base of the plant. These will need to be physically picked up to start climbing with the rest of the vine. If left on the ground, they will root easily and depending on where you have them growing you can leave some of the runners on the ground that will also bloom nicely. My vines fill the night with a lovely sweet fragrance and the hummermoths are all over the blooms in the evening.
Also, this is a tropical and in the very warm climates are a Perennial.

This bloom is on the ground from a runner.

Emma

Stacey - Awesome insight!!! Thanks for posting your observational information! Very helpful. So it may seem that these in fact are late bloomers. Mine are in relatively direct sunlight, though the root area is shaded partially. And I do fertilize mine with Bloom Booster, which I am sure stimulated flower production. Your climate sounds very similar to mine. :-) Thanks so much for jumping on here and posting about your very successful first time experience! I would love to see a photo or two of your vines! :-)

Emma - A perennial???? REALLY???? So what I have growing could continue to send out runners in the Spring or year round?? I thought for sure that it was an annual! That's VERY interesting!!!!

WOW! you lucks! I would love to have Moonflower vines be a prenniel here.. but.. it freezes all winter here..

Emma, thanks for the scoop on those secondary shoots! I remember those looking a bit different from the initial shoots. I picked those up and secured them in with the rest of the vine and shortly thereafter is when the blooms started. Hmmmm.

Becky, I wish I had photos to share of the vines when they were in their prime, but unfortunately do not. I was recently looking for one as I started preparing seed packets to share with friends and was so sad when I realized that my immediate family and nearby friends were the only ones that got to see those lovely blooms. Now the vines are winding down, still blooming but not nearly as full and lush. Plus last night we had an awesome thunderstorm (truly awesome electrical storms in Texas!) and my poor vines are looking a bit weary from the wind and beating. Guess I'll just have to whip out the camera next year.

Stacey - Please do take photos next season. I am really curious to know if yours might be perennials and will come back in the Spring! :-) Wouldn't that be cool!!!! :-) Save those seeds! I do happen to have enough seeds for next season. Thanks so much for your kind offer. I appreciate it!

Ipomoea alba is classified as an annual,although the species will sometimes act as a short lived perennial...usually 3 - to - 5 years lifespan and then the main root will give up the ghost.....maybe Emma can keep hers alive longer than they would ordinarily live in the 'wild'...

The true perennial moonvines usually form a long lived large tuber...
http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/showimage/11615/

Ipomoea macrorhiza
http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/showimage/218318/
http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/showimage/65128/
is a definite perennial that can be overwintered indoors...

TTY,...

Ron

Becky - will do. I WISH they were perennial here, but weather is pretty severe. Super hot summers and freezing ice and snow in winter. I will leave the base when I clip these down (soon) just to experiment (heehee) but I really doubt they will survive the winter here. However, your situation might be different. I haven't spent time in Florida (I know, what a bummer) but your climate may be one that will allow the vine to survive winter. 10a is pretty warm and maybe you don't get the ice that we do here. If you leave the vines that you have in the ground intact, I would be interested to know if they come back next Spring for you. Maybe an experiment for you to try. :) Let me know if you do and, if so, how it turns out. I have an ex-father-in-law who lives in Tampa that I am sending some seed to and would be thrilled to tell him that his plant can be a perennial there!

Ron - I was wondering if they produced long tubers. Which also might explain why they do better in the ground vs. a pot! Short-lived perennial ... 3-5 years ...Heck! I'd be happy if they lasted more than one year! That would be awesome!!!

Stacey - I am definitely leaving mine in the ground and will see what happens! That would be so cool if they came back in the Spring! That means they would probably be thick and make a nice cover over my arbor! And then bloom like crazy next Fall! Ooooooh ... fingers crossed! No snow or ice here. We do get freezing temps some winters, but for only a day or two at a time. :-)

Stacey,
you are very welcome

Ron,
Thanks for that info about the I. alba.
I'll mulch mine this year to see what happens. I have never done that before. Actually where I have mine planted this year, if they stay alive, that would be the best place since the roots are in a very sheltered area.

Becky,
I agree with Stacey, and glad that you are going to experiment to see if yours will live until spring. You still may want to mulch the roots.

Becky,
if you have never grown Ipomoea macrorhiza [see Rons links above], let me know and I'll add a couple of seeds to your stash coming to you. They should do very well for you in your climate and are absolutely beautiful. No fragrance, but the blooms and even the leaves more than make up for that.

Emma

Emma - I would love some seeds for Ipomoea macrorhiza! I was looking at the PlantFile for that one and it looks really pretty! I have never grown any perennial MGs until I started growing the Morning Glory bush this year! I can't imagine having vines and bushes every year without having to sow seeds! :-D

Ok, Becky - you got it!
Seeds are super EZ to germinate, and you should probably start them over the winter.
I don't believe you will see blooms from seed until a couple of years, but well worth the wait.

Emma

Terrific, Emma! Thank you!!! :-)

Becky I planted mine both in the ground and a huge pot...lots of vine and lush growth but limited flowers.

You will love the macrorhiza!! It took mine 3 years to flower but oh so pretty when it does! I actually got a few seeds too.Like Emma said "Well worth the wait". My first seeds came from Emma the MG fairy!!!

hmmm ...hey Emma the MGFairy.. would you have about three seeds to spare for me?? I am in Kansas, would love to see if they would do well here..

Ronnie - Where are you growing your macrorhiza? Is it in the ground or a pot? This vine sounds most interesting! Can't wait!!! So Emma is the MGFairy! LOL!

Hi Debra,

Let me dig deep in my box and see if I have any others that I can share and will LYK.


Too funny Ronnie and Becky
MGFairy! . . . lol

Emma

Becky my macrorhiza is now in the house going a bit dormant...I have it in a what I guess is a 3 gallon pot. I actually thought I lost it last winter and then all of a sudden it started to get new growth in the spring and out it went. It has very pretty leaves.