Morning Glory
Plant of the Week July 24, 2023
Morning Glory ‘Heavenly Blue’ (Impomoea tricolor)
By Paula Mohr, Anoka County Master Gardener
‘Heavenly Blue’ morning glory with a bee. Photo by Paula Mohr.
‘Heavenly Blue’ morning glory, one of my favorite annuals to grow, holds a special place in my heart. The flower reminds me of my mom, who was always thinking of ways to beautify our old farmhouse and yard.
One summer she made a trellis along our empty rickety chicken coop's southern exterior wall. She laced twine around nails hammered in at the top and bottom and then planted morning glory seeds along the base of the coop. By late summer, morning glory vines blanketed the wall, gracing us with vibrant blue flowers every morning.
‘Heavenly Blue’ morning glory (Ipomoea tricolor) is an easy annual to grow. Vines with large, heart-shaped leaves and azure-blue trumpet-shaped flowers can reach 12 feet. Flowers open in the morning to reveal white and yellow throats. By afternoon, flowers fade and close.
Sow morning glory seeds directly into any soil. Note they are tender annuals and sensitive to late spring frosts. Make sure you plant seeds after the soil has warmed up and the danger of frost is past.
Give morning glory seeds a germination boost by nicking each seed’s hard coating with a knife or nail file and soaking it in water overnight. Prepare the seedbed and sow seeds thinly, covering them with a half-inch of soil. Firm soil lightly and keep it moist. Seedlings will emerge in 7 to 21 days.
Provide your fast-growing morning glory vines with good support to climb. A wooden trellis, wire fencing, or string will work. You’ll enjoy blooms from summer to fall. Another plus for morning glories, especially this summer, is that they are drought-tolerant.
You will also enjoy seeing bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds attracted to the bright flowers. Yet there is one visitor—the four-legged kind—that you won’t see. Morning glories are deer resistant.
Other morning glory varieties come in magenta, pink, purple, red, or white. Some popular types include ‘Grandpa Ott,’ ‘Moonflower’ and ‘Cardinal Climber.’
If you haven’t grown morning glories before, consider adding this carefree annual to your gardening list for 2024.