The Adventure of Finding Your Morning Glory Mate

What have I gotten myself into? You may find yourself asking this question once you start growing the Morning Glory. There are so many colors, sizes, leaf attributes, and heights to consider. From very tall to creeping, from blue to purple, every shade of pink, and whites. Leaves that are massive green hearts to multi-lobed variegated adornments. Even some that bloom at night. If you like massive blooms, or tiny blooms, there is a morning glory out there for you.

To make the wisest choice, you may want to first analyze your yard, any fences or trellises, make sure there is enough sunlight in the area you wish to grow your morning glory, and generally get a sense of what you want to grow. Many people start out with seeds they find at Lowes, Walmart, or your local nursery. These are very typically ipomoea purpurea (Crimson Rambler, Grandpa Ott, Star of Yelta, Tall Mix, Early Mix, Blossom Star Mix, Celestial Mix), ipomoea tricolor (Heavenly Blue, Blue Star, Flying Saucers), ipomoea quamoclit (Cypress Vine) or ipomoea alba (Moonflower).

You can find far more spectacular varieties online from independent sellers which, quite honestly, are far better than anything you will find at your local store. There are many hundreds of varieties of morning glories from massive to tiny blooms, from every color imaginable, from every height and pattern, and that number continues to grow thanks to dedicated growers and natural accidental crossing. Those that you find online do usually come with the risk of unexpected crosses due to open-air pollination, just like the seeds we produce. There may be a bit of trial and error with growing morning glories if you are new to the craft.

Find the varieties that satisfy your dreams and make sure you get enough – 5 to 10 seeds per variety should be sufficient. You may need that many for all the seeds that refuse to germinate, the seedlings which die from exposure to the climate (rain, heat, cold, etc), the seedlings which succumb to slugs, snails, caterpillars, grasshoppers, raccoons, squirrels, birds, and goodness knows what else is out there hunting these tender herbaceous vines. If you find a variety that has limited quantity available, you may want to stock up if you can.

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