Ornamental · Convolvulaceae
Morning Glory
Ipomoea purpurea
Drop a few scarified seeds at the base of a trellis and morning glory will storm up it in trumpets by late summer.
Full sun
Every 5–10 days
50–95°F · 10–35°C
65–110 days
Overview
Morning glory is a fast twining annual vine that flings open fresh trumpet flowers every morning and lets them fade by afternoon. Native to the warmer Americas, it grabs anything within reach, from a mailbox post to a chain-link fence, and one season's push can send it up 6 to 10 feet. Sky-blue is the headliner, but it also comes in purple, wine-red, white, and striped.
The best part is how little it demands to reward you. Full sun, lean soil, and something to climb just about cover it, and rich ground backfires by pumping out leaves instead of flowers. The one thing to keep an eye on is its seeding, because the same drive that storms a trellis fast can have you yanking volunteers for years if the pods burst.
Two things deserve a heads-up before you sow. The seeds pack toxic alkaloids that make them dangerous to pets, livestock, and anyone who mistakes them for food. And while this ornamental annual behaves worlds better than its perennial cousin field bindweed, some Ipomoea species land on noxious-weed lists, so check your region before planting somewhere new.
Care
The short version: plant it in full sun and lean, well-drained soil, water when the top half dries, hand it a trellis to storm up, and skip the fertilizer so you rack up flowers instead of a wall of leaves.
Light
Hand morning glory full sun, meaning 6 or more hours of direct light a day. It will still climb in part shade, but flowers grow scarce, since the blooms feed on sun and heat.
Water
Let the top half of the soil dry between waterings, then soak it deeply, which shakes out to roughly every 5 to 10 days. Once it establishes the vine shrugs off dry spells, and soggy soil hurts it far more than a dry stretch.
Soil
Lean ground is where it thrives. Plant in average to poor, well-drained sandy soil anywhere from a pH of 5.5 to 8.0, and hold off on enriching it, since rich soil pumps out leaves at the cost of flowers.
Temperature
Morning glory loves the heat, cruising from about 50°F to 95°F (10°C to 35°C). Frost stops it cold, so wait until the chill has fully cleared before setting plants out.
Humidity
Everyday outdoor humidity is plenty, so there is no number to chase. Hot, dry air is more likely to draw in spider mites than to bother the vine itself.
Feeding
Here is a plant you get to leave alone. Skip the fertilizer, or reach for only a low-nitrogen feed if anything, because rich soil and extra nitrogen crank out lush vines with barely a bloom.
Pruning
Pinch the young tips to drive the vine into branching, and cut it back whenever it overruns its space. Clip off the spent seed pods to stop it seeding itself across the garden.
Repotting
Morning glory kicks off fresh from seed each year as an annual, so repotting never comes up. Start it where you want it to climb and turn it loose for the season.
Size & spacing
Bank on a vine of 6 to 10 feet (1.8 to 3 m) in a single season, spreading 3 to 6 feet (90 to 180 cm) wide. Give it a sturdy trellis, string, or fence and plenty of room for the twining stems to run.
When to plant
Morning glory runs on warmth and drops at the first hard frost, so let the season come to it. Start seeds indoors in early spring or sow them into warm ground once the cold clears, and the vine blasts out blooms from midsummer right through to fall frost.
Northern hemisphere
Southern hemisphere
Typical months for a temperate climate: start earlier in warm zones, later where spring frosts linger.
- Sow: 6-8 weeks before last spring frost; scarify and soak seed 12-24 hours
- Plant: 1-2 weeks after last spring frost when soil is warm; or direct sow after frost
- Harvest: midsummer to fall frost (about June to October)
Hardiness
USDA hardiness zones: 2–11
Temperature: down to -46°C
Troubleshooting
Nearly every morning glory snag comes down to too few flowers, too many seedlings, or a scrap with mites and aphids, and all three are quick to sort. Match what you see below and jump on it early, especially the self-seeding, which is far easier to head off than to chase down later.
Vine racing up, blooms holding back
This one is a simple fix, because it almost always means the plant is living too well, with rich soil or a nitrogen feed pouring energy into leaves instead of buds. Morning glory throws its best flowers when it runs a little hungry and drinks up full sun, so cut the feeding and park it where it grabs 6 or more hours of direct light. And if the vine is still young, hang on, because the real show fires up at midsummer.
Fix:
- Stop fertilizing and avoid nitrogen-rich amendments
- Move or grow in full sun (6+ hours)
- Be patient; blooms typically start midsummer and continue to frost
Fresh seedlings marching in next spring
Morning glory is a champion self-seeder, and any pods left to burst will fling seed straight across the bed. Come spring the volunteers give themselves away, their heart-shaped leaves crowding right where last year's vine climbed. Pull them young while they slip out clean, and clip the spent pods before they ripen to keep the vine charging up its trellis and nowhere else.
Fix:
- Pull unwanted seedlings while young
- Remove and discard spent seed pods before they shatter
- Deadhead flowers before seed set in areas where weediness is a concern
Speckled, yellowing leaves showing webbing or bugs
Spot fine webbing and a dusty, speckled sheen and you have likely met spider mites, which pile in during hot, dry runs. Aphids swarm the tender new growth, and leaf miners scribble pale tunnels through the leaves. Hit the vine with a strong jet of water to knock the crowd loose, chase the stragglers with insecticidal soap, and keep it watered so mites lose their footing.
Fix:
- Spray plants with a strong jet of water to dislodge mites and aphids
- Treat persistent infestations with insecticidal soap or horticultural oil
- Remove heavily mined or chewed leaves
Toxicity
As much fun as it is to grow, this is not a plant to turn loose where curious pets or small children roam unsupervised. The seeds carry the real danger, packed with LSA alkaloids that trigger stomach upset and hallucinations if swallowed, while the foliage rates a milder caution. Stash seed packets and dropped pods well out of reach.
Toxic to
Cats · Dogs · Horses · Rabbits · Livestock · Birds · People
Cats Moderate
A quick bite of leaf tends to leave a cat drooling and throwing up. The seeds carry the real punch, though, since their LSA alkaloids can leave a cat agitated, wobbly, and disoriented.
Dogs Moderate
Chewing the foliage usually lands a dog an upset stomach and some vomiting. Down a mouthful of seeds and the alkaloids take charge, firing off tremors, restlessness, and a drunk, stumbling gait.
Horses Moderate
Grazing the vine can churn a horse's gut and leave it dull. A bigger dose of seed drives things further, tipping into twitching and a dazed, hallucinatory state.
Rabbits Moderate
The same seed alkaloids that hammer cats and dogs reach rabbits too, so keep this vine well out of their reach. Watch for a rabbit going off its food, sitting hunched, or acting unsteady.
Livestock Moderate
Cattle, sheep, and goats seldom go after it, but a mouthful of seed-laden vine can bring colic and jittery, agitated behavior. Pull stray morning glory off pasture fencing wherever stock can reach it.
Birds Caution
Keep morning glory firmly off-limits for pet birds. The seeds pack the strongest dose of alkaloids, so stash packets and dropped pods far from cages and aviaries.
People Caution
No part of this plant belongs in a mouth. The seeds are truly hazardous, loaded with LSA alkaloids that bring nausea and hallucinations, so keep them away from children and never treat them as food.
Keep seed packets and dropped seeds away from pets and children; the seeds are sometimes abused for their hallucinogenic alkaloids.
Helpline numbers
United States
ASPCA Animal Poison Control: (888) 426-4435 (fee applies)
Poison Control: (800) 222-1222
Canada
Poison Centres: 1-844-764-7669
Varieties
Morning glory bursts across a huge color range plus a few close relatives worth chasing. These are the ones you will run into most often.
Heavenly Blue (Ipomoea tricolor)
The one everyone pictures, firing clear sky-blue trumpets that open from a pale white and yellow throat.
Grandpa Ott's
A deep-purple heirloom lit by a reddish-magenta star blazing up the center of each bloom.
Scarlett O'Hara
A knockout with rich wine-red to scarlet flowers that leap out against the usual blues and purples.
Flying Saucers / Pearly Gates (Ipomoea tricolor)
A dynamite pair, Flying Saucers swirling blue and white together while Pearly Gates opens pure white.
Moonflower (Ipomoea alba)
A night-blooming cousin whose big white flowers unfurl in the evening and pump out a sweet scent.
Cardinal climber / Cypress vine (Ipomoea × multifida / Ipomoea quamoclit)
Related vines worth chasing for their fine, fern-cut foliage and small red star-shaped flowers.
How to propagate
Morning glory launches from seed, and the one trick worth nailing is cracking that hard seed coat open.
SeedEasy
Start indoors 6-8 weeks before last frost or direct sow after frost when soil is warm · Germinates in about 1-2 weeks after scarifying/soaking; rapid growth once established
Morning glory takes off from seed and only seed, which makes starting it a blast. The seed coat is tough, so nick it with a file or sandpaper and soak the seeds for 12 to 24 hours to wake them up. Fire them off indoors 6 to 8 weeks before your last frost, or sow them straight into warm ground once frost clears, and they punch up within 1 to 2 weeks before rocketing away. Stand a trellis, string, or fence ready for the twining vine to grab the second it breaks ground.
Myths
Morning glory and field bindweed are the same weedy plant.
They look like twins, but they are two different species. Ornamental morning glory is a warm-season annual in the genus Ipomoea, throwing showy 2-inch flowers on heart-shaped leaves that quit at frost. Field bindweed is Convolvulus arvensis, a deep-rooted perennial noxious weed with smaller 1 to 1.5-inch white-to-pink flowers and narrow arrowhead leaves, and it is the one that dragged the name through the mud.