Ornamental · Convolvulaceae
Morning Glory
Ipomoea purpurea
Set a few scarified seeds at the base of a trellis and morning glory will wind up it, unfurling fresh 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 whose slender green stems spiral up a support and clothe it in broad, heart-shaped leaves. Each morning the buds twist open into flared trumpet flowers, 2 inches across, that flatten to a wide five-lobed face before folding away by afternoon. Native to the warmer Americas, the vine can wind 6 to 10 feet up a mailbox post or chain-link fence in one season, and the classic sky-blue face gives way in other forms to purple, wine-red, white, and striped throats.
Up close the flowers reveal their structure: five petals fused into one seamless funnel, edged in a faint star pattern where the seams run, and centered on a pale white or yellow throat that drops into the narrow tube. The leaves are large and pointed, their two basal lobes curving back into that clean heart shape, and they carry a soft, matte green surface on stems fine enough to coil around a string.
Two facts about the seed matter before planting. The hard, dark seeds carry toxic alkaloids that make them dangerous to pets, livestock, and anyone who mistakes them for food. And while this ornamental annual is far tamer than its perennial cousin field bindweed, some Ipomoea species are listed as noxious weeds, so check your region before sowing somewhere new.
Care
The short version: full sun and lean, well-drained soil, water when the top half dries, a trellis for the twining stems to coil around, and no fertilizer, so the vine spends itself on trumpets rather than leaves.
Light
Give morning glory full sun, 6 or more hours of direct light a day falling on the leaves. It will still climb in part shade, but the trumpets grow scarce, since the flowers open on sun and heat.
Water
Let the top half of the soil dry between waterings, then water deeply, which lands at roughly every 5 to 10 days. Once the roots take hold the vine handles a dry stretch, and soggy soil harms it more than thirst does.
Soil
Lean ground suits it best. Plant in average to poor, well-drained sandy soil anywhere from a pH of 5.5 to 8.0, and leave it unfed, since rich soil swells the leaves at the cost of the flowers.
Temperature
Morning glory is a warm-weather plant, at ease from about 50°F to 95°F (10°C to 35°C). Frost blackens it, so wait until the cold has fully passed before setting plants out.
Humidity
Ordinary outdoor humidity is all it needs, so there is no level to hold. Hot, dry air is more likely to draw spider mites onto the leaves than to trouble the vine itself.
Feeding
This is one plant to leave unfed. Skip the fertilizer, or use only a low-nitrogen feed if anything, because rich soil and extra nitrogen swell the vine into leaves with hardly a trumpet.
Pruning
Pinch the soft young tips to push the stems into branching, and cut the vine back whenever it overruns its space. Clip off the spent seed pods, those dry papery capsules, before they split and sow the garden.
Repotting
Morning glory grows fresh from seed each year as an annual, so there is no repotting. Start it where you want the stems to climb and let it run the season.
Size & spacing
Expect the twining stems to reach 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 thin enough for the stems to coil around.
When to plant
Morning glory runs on warmth and blackens at the first hard frost, so its season sits in the warm months. Start seeds indoors in early spring or sow them into warm ground once the cold has passed, and the trumpets open in waves from midsummer 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
Most morning glory trouble shows in the leaves and flowers themselves: too few trumpets, a scatter of heart-leaved seedlings, or a stippling of mites and aphids across the foliage. Match what you see below and step in early, above all with self-seeding, which is far easier to head off than to undo.
A thicket of green leaves and no trumpets
When the vine piles on broad, heart-shaped leaves but shows no buds, the cause is usually over-rich ground, with fertile soil or a nitrogen feed driving green growth instead of flowers. Morning glory sets its trumpets when the roots run a little lean and the leaves bask in full sun of 6 or more hours. On a young plant the bare stems are simply early, since the first flowers unfurl 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
Heart-leaved seedlings scattered across the bed
Morning glory is a heavy self-seeder, its dry pods splitting to scatter hard black seed across the surrounding soil. The next spring the volunteers stand out at once, each tipped with a pair of small heart-shaped leaves right where last year's vine climbed. They lift out cleanly while the stems are still thin and pale, and snipping the spent pods before they dry and crack keeps the seed from ever falling.
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 laced with fine webbing
A dusty, pinprick stippling across the leaves and threads of fine webbing between them mark spider mites, which crowd in during hot, dry spells. Soft green aphids gather along the tender new growth, and leaf miners cut pale, winding tunnels just under the leaf surface. A hard jet of water washes the crawlers off, insecticidal soap finishes the holdouts, and steady moisture keeps the foliage firm enough to shrug mites off.
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
For all the beauty of the open trumpets, this is not a plant to grow where curious pets or small children roam unsupervised. The hard seeds are the real hazard, packed with LSA alkaloids that cause stomach upset and hallucinations if swallowed, while the soft foliage is a milder caution. Keep seed packets and dropped pods well out of reach.
Toxic to
Cats · Dogs · Horses · Rabbits · Livestock · Birds · People
Cats Moderate
A bite from a soft green leaf usually brings drooling and vomiting. The hard little seeds are the graver danger, carrying LSA alkaloids that can leave a cat agitated, wobbly, and disoriented.
Dogs Moderate
Chewed foliage typically leaves a dog with a queasy stomach and some vomiting. A mouthful of the small seeds lets the alkaloids take hold, bringing tremors, restlessness, and a drunk, stumbling gait.
Horses Moderate
Grazing the leafy vine can churn a horse's gut and leave it dull. A larger dose of seed pushes into neurologic territory, with twitching and a dazed, hallucinatory state.
Rabbits Moderate
The same seed alkaloids that trouble cats and dogs reach rabbits too, so this vine belongs well out of reach. A rabbit off its food, sitting hunched, or moving unsteadily is the sign to watch.
Livestock Moderate
Cattle, sheep, and goats rarely seek out the vine, but a mouthful of seed-laden stems can bring colic and agitated behavior. Clear stray morning glory from any pasture fencing the animals can reach.
Birds Caution
Treat morning glory as off-limits for pet birds. The small seeds hold the strongest dose of alkaloids, so keep packets and dropped pods away from cages and aviaries.
People Caution
No part of this plant is meant to be eaten. The seeds are genuinely hazardous, holding 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 opens its trumpets in a wide sweep of colors and patterns, and a few close relatives are worth knowing by sight. These are the ones you will meet most often.
Heavenly Blue (Ipomoea tricolor)
The one most people picture, its clear sky-blue trumpets opening wide from a pale white and yellow throat.
Grandpa Ott's
A deep-purple heirloom, each petal crossed by a reddish-magenta star that burns up from the center of the bloom.
Scarlett O'Hara
A form of rich wine-red to scarlet flowers, their deep color set against the more common blues and purples.
Flying Saucers / Pearly Gates (Ipomoea tricolor)
A matched pair, Flying Saucers marbled in swirls of blue and white while Pearly Gates opens a clean pure white.
Moonflower (Ipomoea alba)
A night-blooming cousin whose large white flowers unfurl through the evening and give off a sweet scent.
Cardinal climber / Cypress vine (Ipomoea × multifida / Ipomoea quamoclit)
Related vines with fine, fern-cut foliage and small red flowers shaped like five-pointed stars.
How to propagate
Morning glory grows from seed, and the one skill worth having is coaxing that hard, dark seed coat to 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 grows from seed alone, each one a hard, dark wedge with a coat too tough to let water in on its own. Nick that coat with a file or sandpaper until the pale inside shows, then soak the seeds for 12 to 24 hours until they swell. Start them indoors 6 to 8 weeks before your last frost, or press them into warm ground once frost has passed, and the first heart-shaped seed leaves break the surface within 1 to 2 weeks before the stems climb fast. Have a trellis, string, or fence set for the twining vine to wind around the moment it rises.
Myths
Morning glory and field bindweed are the same weedy plant.
The two look alike at a glance, but they are two different species. Ornamental morning glory is a warm-season annual in the genus Ipomoea, carrying showy 2-inch trumpet flowers above broad heart-shaped leaves that blacken and die 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 behind the bad name.