How to Grow Ipomoea Vines - Plant Profile

Care and Use of Moonflower, Morning Glory and Cardinal Climbers

Jan 4, 2009

Moon Vine Flowers Open in the Evening, Hazel L. Topoleski

This family of annual vines has been charming gardeners for centuries as a staple of cottage and heirloom gardens. Fragrant and colorful flowers abound.

Morning glories, moonflowers and cardinal climber vines are all in the ipomoea family of vining annual plants. Gardeners have a wide choice of bloom times and colors to choose from for their garden landscapes.

Cultivation Information and How to Grow Ipomoea

Botanical and Common Name: Ipomoea is the scientific name for morning glory, moonflowers and cardinal climbers.

Plant Category: These charming annual plants are herbaceous vines.

Bloom Time and Color: Trumpet-shaped, open flowers last all summer and are available in a wide range of colors, depending on variety; including blue, white, pink, and red.

Foliage: Most Ipomoea vines have attractive foliage. Cardinal climbers especially have fine cut foliage that looks beautiful in the garden.

Growth Habit: These tender, annual vines grow easily up a trellis, fence, porch rail or even twine tied to a tree. The ability of the vines to climb provides a vertical, three-dimensional interest, to the garden.

Dimensions: They usually grow about 10 feet tall or more, with a spread of about a foot.

Maintenance: Morning glories, cardinal climbers and moonflower vines are all easy to maintain since they grow quickly when provided with a little support. Do not over fertilize the vines or you'll have too many leaves and not as many flowers. These climbing vines all do best in average quality soil and moderate moisture. They need full sun, but will tolerate minimal shade if planted near a tree.

Pests or Diseases: Most of these plants will not be subject to pests or diseases, but if the vines are overcrowded gardeners may see mites.

Propagation Methods: Ipomoea vines propogate easily through seeds and many gardeners have saved the seeds from heirloom varieties for decades by collecting them in the fall and planting the seeds the following spring. Soak seeds overnight before planting in the warm spring months after all chance of frost has passed.

Using Ipomoea in the Garden

Preferred Conditions: All of these vines prefer average soil and moisture levels, as well as full sun conditions.

Companion Plants: Morning glories are a classic cottage garden vine, and both they, and cardinal flowers are attractive to hummingbirds, bees or butterflies. Moonflowers make a great choice of climbing plant for a fragrance garden or moon garden.

Seasons of Interest: Since these vines are all annuals they do not provide year-round interest, but rather put on a show late spring through autumn.

Uses in the Garden: Use the moonflower, morning glory and cardinal climber as a rambling ground cover, for vertical vining accents in the landscape, in heirloom gardens, hanging baskets or raised container beds.

Plant Cultivars:

Moonflower Vine (Ipomoea alba) - Heart-shaped leaves show off the white, cup-shaped flowers beautifully. Moonflowers get their common name because the fragrant blooms open in the evening after the sun has set.
Morning Glories (Ipomoea tricolor; Ipomoea purpurea, Ipomoea nil) - Morning glory vines produce blue, white or yellow flowers that attract hummingbirds and butterflies. The trumpet flowers open during the day.
Cardinal Climbers (Ipomoea multifida, Ipomoea sloteri) - Bright red, trumpet-shaped flowers adorn this climbing vine and attract hummingbirds in large number. The cardinal climber has fine cut leaves that are very attractive in the landscape.

With so many uses in the landscape, gardeners have no reason not to add these delightful and easy-to-grow vines to their garden.

The copyright of the article How to Grow Ipomoea Vines - Plant Profile in Annual Plants is owned by Angela England. Permission to republish How to Grow Ipomoea Vines - Plant Profile in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.