Ron! ... L@@K ... Acapulco Blue Morning Glory is Blooming

This MEXICAN Morning Glory FINALLY started blooming for me this week and I have no idea what it is.

I personally collected the seeds that produced these vines last December in ACAPULCO, MEXICO.
I started a few seeds just before spring, and the vines were in containers until I finally planted them in the ground in mid-summer. I was beginning to think I wasn’t going to get blooms this year at all and was puzzled because of our HOT Texas Summer. I know the climates make a big difference on many plants, and I believe Acapulco is Zone 11, however, I DID get Blooms in my 8a TX Zone! I have my vines climbing a tall ladder in the back part of my detached building and they are now right at 20'. The Blue Blooms are between 3" to 4" Blooms and have Tri-Lobed Leaves.

Last December when I collected these seeds, there were no Blooms remaining, so I couldn’t get photos – except for a couple of straggly looking blooms. So, I expect this MG may presently be in full bloom at this time in Acapulco, or mayby is starting to end their bloom cycle. Also, I collected seeds in more than one area all around the Las Brisas and nearby areas.

RON - This is the one that I didn't have enough information or photos to send you for proper ID.
Is there any way this could be I. indica?
Let me know if you need any other photos than what I'm posting and hopefully you can ID this for me.

Thanks,
Emma

Another Bloom

This is a Day #2 Bloom from Yesterday.
Note this is at the top of the ladder as I hang by my toes *lol*

Side View of one of the Day #2 Blooms

Another Side View of one of the Day #2 Blooms

Leaf Close Up

Another close up of Leaf

Bud

Another Bud

Vine at about 20' growing up a ladder

Top of vine

Sepals

Another of the Sepals

Hi Emma - My impression of the sepals is that they most closely resemble Ipomoea nil and that is what I think this plant is...an interesting wild type...with clusters that most closely resemble the peculiar one from offered by JJ...the sepal bases don't look wide enough to me to be Ipomoea indica and the sepals aren't hairy enough or splayed outward and downward enough to be Ipomoea hederacea...

Ipomoea nil and Ipomoea hederacea are annuals...I.Indica would develop perennial roots...
also,try crossing the pollen with some of the other I.nil and I.hederacea that you have and see what it crosses with...the ability of it to easily cross with others of the same species should be a very good 'second opinion' from the plants...

I'd still like to see what the developing seedpods display...

Cool looking plant...

TTY,...

Ron

Hi Ron,
Thanks for all of that great information.
Now that this MG is blooming, I'll watch it more closely and see what it does. I do still have some hederacea and nils blooming here and there, so will do some crossing and see if the weather will allow the seed pods to mature.

I really do like these neat Acapulco Blue Blooms.

Will also watch for developing pods as well.

This is great!

Thanks again,
Emma

Emma, I see a very light purple star that radiates out from just outside the
throat area. Very nice.

Jackie

Thanks Jackie,
Isn't it beautiful!

Emma

I love blue and the hint of lavender is a bonus. What a great way to make use of a ladder!

This message was edited Nov 16, 2006 9:21 AM

Thanks Teresa,
I knew this was going to be a long climber, and the ladder was the only thing I could think of to use - so it worked out well.

Emma

Love the leaf shape and blue color!

Joseph

Thanks Joseph,
This one certainly is different from any that I've yet grown.

Emma

That's pretty ingenius, growing it up a tall ladder, talk about skyscraper trellises! LOL

Oh Yes, Joseph....
Fun part was climbing up the OTHER ladder to take the photos waaaay up there.
I'll try to get the seeds in the ground sooner next year and see what this baby really can do.

Emma

I like the ladder idea too, and the bloom is beautiful!!

Louanne

Thanks Louanne -
Surprised that I haven't tried the ladder before.

Emma

Wow, that's beautiful Emma!! Luv the color and especially the long white tube.
:) Donna

Thanks Donna,
This MG is very unique!

Emma

OOHH so pretty!! Luv the ladder

Kool huh, Ronnie...
Emma

Very interesting
Looks like the same Morning Glory I now have blooming right outside the front door. I planted it in the spring, and waited, and waited, and waited for blooms. I was so disappointed. The vine was huge. I had read that over watering or fertilizing could cause vine growth without flowering - but couldn't see how either of those issues could be the problem. A few weeks ago, maybe a month ago, I was VERY close to just cutting it down. Then, I got in my car one day, and as I started the car, I noticed a bloom! I jumped out of the car to look at it. I was so excited. It has been blooming ever since, and when I looked at it tonight, it had a lot of buds. That is in spite of the fact that the aphids pounced on it. It was covered! I sprayed it with seaweed emulsion - no effect. Then I sprayed it with diluted orange oil - which I am thinking may be why many of the leaves dried up. I have picked off the brown leaves - so the lower part of the vine is bare. But up over the rafters of the awning over the sidewalk, it is blooming away. I just love seeing them when I walk outside.
Mary - Grand Prairie, TX

Hi Mary,
Good Story and glad to hear that you were finally able to enjoy your blooms. Do you know the name of the seeds you planted. Maybe Heavenly Blue?
Do your blooms have a Yellow or White center?
Emma

Very!pretty emma I love the color.

Thanks skimper,

Emma

I'm sorry, I don't know the name of them. However, you may see a picture at www.kodakgallery.com/maryyx . Just look in the garden folder. I am really glad I took a picture; because the freeze we just had totally zapped them!
Mary

Emma,I like it. It looks unique and especially if it is disease resistant and doesn`t get fungus disease really badly like some of the other nils you have quite a find there!

Hi Mary,
Your MG appears to be Heavenly Blue. I grew these this year for the first time and can understand why they remain the world's most popular MG.

Karen,
I didn't have this one growing long enough this year to see what all it would or wouldn't do. Our freeze that came blasting through zapped it. Still hoping for seeds.

Emma

Your pics make me wish more people would grow vines and MGs up the sides of their houses - especially since orchards of McMansions stuffed practically on top of each other have eliminated so much open space around here.

I'd love to see a thread about growing MGs on the side of one's house. Mom used to ask Dad to grow morning glories up the side of their tool shed where she could see the flowers from the house. But -- he said a MG vine would cause maintenance problems on the shed, so he never did. I can see his point, being in his 80s at the time. But from the looks of things around here, there seems to be a lot of folks who think the way he did.

Does anyone have experience or knowledge of what Dad was talking about? Helen van Pelt Wilson (wife of the plant explorer Ernest Wilson) attached trellis to the side of her house with bolts, saying the next owner could worry about it. What would be some ways to do this and still be kind to the structure hosting the vine?

Karen

Karen, Use a light weight clothesline or something similiar maybe twine. Attach it to a stake/s and drive it in the ground.
Stretch the line to the eaves of the house. Guess you would have to use a nail to have something to tie the twine off with. If you're worried about damaging the wood
with a nail, then take a small 2-3 inch piece of wood and hammer the nail into that first
just far enough to go thru it and penetrate the wood of the house below. I don't think
the nail would do as much, if any, damage that way.
Just a thought.
Jackie

Thanks, Jackie - nice trick with the piece of wood and nail. It was a thought. To be realistic, there is no flat land near our house, and believe me, cleaning the chimney and gutters is about all the adventure of this sort DH and I are up to now. Just wished when we drove around the neighborhood there were more houses supporting vines like Emma's.

Karen,
Here is another new structure that Jerry put up for me this year.
The wood fence is new.
He attached welded wire fencing material strips to the wood fence with long nails and secured the welded wire with plastic zip lock ties.

Emma