Wish me luck everybody !!!

Well I ventured into the world of Morning Glories and Moonflowers. I've got 4 different cultivars of morning glories and the moonflower seeds sown and hopefully will sprout in a couple of days. I'll keep you posted on the progress. 100 seedlings will keep me busy !!!

Welcome Roly0217!

Did I read you right ... you sowed 100 seeds? If so, you better stand back because when they all start sprouting and growing ... you will be shocked at how large they can get! Where did you plant them? In a garden bed, against a fence or wall? Or ...?

Yes I did sow 100 seeds. Right now they are in flats waiting to sprout once they do I've got chainlink fence in 3 sides of the house so they'll have plenty of space to grow plus I'm planning on giving some to friends and hopefully share with DGers.

Sounds like a great place to grow MGs! Good luck getting 100% germination!

What are the other cultivars of MGs that you are growing for this beside the Moonflower vine?

I've got Gradpa Ott, Scarlett O'Hara, Clarke's Heavenly Blue and Crimson Rambler.

Roly0217 - Grandpa Ott's and Crimson Rambler are I. purpureas. Scarlett O'Hara is an I. nil. And Heavenly Blue is a tricolor. I see that you live in Florida as do I. I just want to give you the heads up about the I. purpureas ... they will produce LOTS of seeds and bring you many, many volunteers for years! I don't see a lot of volunteer vines with the I. nil and I. tricolor vines. here. Since you are new to growing MGs, make sure that you really like the I. purpurea cultivars before you plant them along your fence. Just a suggestion...

It's a tough time of the year to start Morning Glories in South Florida, but I hope they work out for you. I've tried in the summer before without success. They germinate but the intense sun, humidity and high night time temperatures takes it's toll on them. They seem to spend all their energy recovering from wilting during the daytime sun, even if they're kept well watered. If for some reason, they don't work out, don't give up. You can try planting the seeds again at the end of September. They will do much better and will start blooming in late December. They usually will continue to bloom until early May and then die back.

Jon

Jon - Sound advice! I agree! If they are growing in the ground, they do struggle more in the heat of summer in Florida. I grow mine in self-watering containers and only see the wilting if my containers need to be refilled with water. I also use a moisture control potting mix and amend it as well.

The only one that survives the summer for me is "Blue Dawn", but that's expected since its a perennial Morning Glory. I tried growing some in large containers, during the summer, inside the pool screening. The pool screening even filters some of the suns rays. They still wilted during the midday sun and the growth was poor compared to the winter months. The best "Morning Glory" type plant for South Florida during the summer is "Railroad Vine". It loves the heat and blooms the most during the summer months. It's generally a ground cover plant but can be easily trained to grow up a trellis in a very large pot. Here's a picture of my "Railroad Vine" this morning.

Jon

Jon - That's neat! Never thought of growing the railroad vine in a pot. They are considered weeds here. LOL! Yours are really pretty! Doesn't it have those thick glossy leaves?

LOL. That's why I grow it in a pot. It would overtake everything if it was in the ground. In a pot it's perfect and not invading anything. Yes, it has the thick glossy leaves.

:-) :-) :-)