Marvellous Morning Glories

I've been planting the standard pink and blue morning glories for several years now because I love them as a screen. I usually mix them in with the climbing beans in the garden, because the beans themselves don't offer much color. I've also used them as an accent in the flower beds. Just throw down a few seeds, give them someting to climb on (like a piece of driftwood or any old stick) and bam! there's a mass of color to accent an otherwise plain area. They're especially useful where other plants bloom early and leave an empty space when they're done, or in a spot where other plants bloom late and a bit of color is needed earlier in the season. This year I planted a different variety that isn't meant to climb. They're meant to form a small mound covered in 1 1/2 to 2 inch blossoms in a variety of colors. They're supposed to be useful as a border or in window boxes.

With the terrible growing conditions we had they got off to a very slow start. I thought they weren't going to come up at all for a while there. When they did come up I didn't pinch them off early enough so they got quite leggy. The ones in the border sort of lay along the ground, but the ones in the window boxes have started to hang over the edge. For all the dissapointment, I definately will try them again next year. Why? Because the few blossoms they have produced are spectacular! Next year I think I'll start them early in the house which will give them a better start.





The final photo here is a wild morning glory. While walking the trail that runs behind the house I saw these small (1/2 inch or so) blossoms. I followed the vine to the ground and dug up a few roots, took them home and planted them in the cold frame. They died back and I sort of forgot about them, but they came back the following spring, though they didn't do much so I left them where they were. Last spring I moved them to the same area where I put the clematis. I figured one or the other would grow and at least there would be something to cover the old rusty chainlink fence besode the shed. Well, last summer everything grew, but nothing bloomed. This spring the clematis and the wild morning glory both came up and grew like mad. The clematis bloomed but the wild vine didn't. Then along came a bright golden bug that turned the morning glory leaves to lace. I figured that was a sort of bonus because the bugs preferred the wild vine and left the clematis alone. I started to think the wild vine was never going to bloom. Then, last week I noticed a few buds and this is what they opened into. I'm so glad I was patient enough to let them be until they produced. The flowers are two inches across, and though there won't be a huge number of them, it looks like I might get some seed, so their tribe should increase. I'd like to start them in among the virginia creeper which is a good screen, but not all that attractive before the leaves turn red in the fall. I realize that some people are cringing at the idea of propagating bindweed (which in most circles is considered to be a noxious weed), but I'm of the attitude that one person's poison is another's meat, and the flowers are worth the work of keeping it contained. Of course, I may feel differently in a couple of years.