Morning Glory, Grannyvine 'Summer Skies'

***All these photos are COPYRIGHT PROTECTED and OWN THESE PHOTOS and PERMISSION IS NOT GIVEN TO REPRODUCE IN ANY FORMAT I will be watchin...Read Moreg the internet and Ebay and report any offenders***


Summer Skies` is a very light-blue flowered Ipomoea tricolor. It
was originated, according to Bloomer, by the former McDonald Seed Company of Santa Maria, California. This plant was also grown in the Drug Plant Garden of the University of Rhode Island, and shows no significant difference from the Ipomoea tricolor of Mexican origin; there were 2 forms, one with tan coloured seeds that had no pigmentation on the stems and the dark brown seeded form that has some pigmentation. It was marketed by Darold Decker in 1962.

I have included comparison notes with Blue Star that is unlike summer skies -for research purposes as it might prove useful -

Blue Star: pale-blue-flowered variety of Ipomoea tricolor; the
original form has tan coloured seeds with no pigmentation on
stemsetc, however the dark form produces pigmentation. Its flowers arelighter blue than the 'Heavenly Blue` variety and they possess darkblue mid-rib spears that give each the appearance of a five-pointed star. The seeds are white or very light tan in color, in contrast to the seeds of all the other varieties of Ipomoea tricolor which are dark brown to black. This variety was developed by D. Denholm of the Denholm Seed Company in California. Mr Denhalm stated:"we wish to confirm that we did develop and introduce Ipomoea Blue Star. It was a mutation from the 'Heavenly Blue` morning glory Clarke`s strain . and was discovered and developed by the writer. At the same time as this mutation showed up in California, it also evidently showed up in Europe and was found by Sluis and Groot`s of, Enkhuizen, Holland
at about the same time we developed it. However, as our two houses found out that we had the same thing, we introduced it at the same time under a common and same-name."

Correspondence with Sluis and Groat`s corroborated these facts.
Their letter is quoted: "Ipomoea Blue Star - a mutation in the variety 'Heavenly Blue` found in the thirties by one of our contract
growers, Pierre Dumas in St. Remy de Provence in France. This is a white seeded variety of sky blue color with a white star in it.
Simultaneously, this variety was found by the Denholmn Seed Company. 2342 Sawtelle Blvd., Los Angeles 64 California who have continued the seed production of this item since the introduction whereas we have abandoned it."

Research (Copyright 2009) Rareseedman

***All these photos are COPYRIGHT PROTECTED and OWN THESE PHOTOS and PERMISSION IS NOT GIVEN TO REPRODUCE IN ANY FORMAT I will be watching the internet and Ebay and report any offenders***

I grew the Ipomoea tricolor cultivar "Summer Skies" for 6 years from 1972 through 1977 and it was a charming light blue color that looked...Read More EXACTLY(!) like the Ipomoea tricolor cultivar "Blue Star",
http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/showimage/9559/
but without the gene for spotting,so it had no darker starring in the folds at all.

The seeds of the form that I grew were the same exact pale mustard color as the pale colored seeds of "Blue Star and "Flying Saucers".

The very pale "Heavenly Blue" as seen in the PlantFiles here
http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/showimage/59069/
has been mistaken for 'summer skies' and crosses of pale seeded "Blue Star" and the pale "Heavenly Blue" have been mistaken for "Summer Skies" but these crosses do not have the true original "Summer Skies" type coloration and often revert back to dark seeded forms with starring along the folds.

The dark seeded forms of Ipomoea tricolor produce plants that are able to produce a rosey-purple pigmentation on the stems and sometimes visible in the cotyledonary stage of the seedlings which is in contradistinction to the pale seeded forms which do not produce pigmentation on the stems or on the cotyledons.

Gorgeous color on this one!! Grows over 12 feet tall!