The morning glory flower belongs to the bindweed family and has more than 400 varieties around the world. The birthplace of culture is the tropics and subtropics.

Morning glory - general information

The flower has many names. The most beautiful of them:

  • Moonflower.
  • Morning dawn.
  • Morning sowing (from English Morning glory).
  • Morning glory Flying saucer.
  • Ipomoea Grand (or Grandfather Otts).
  • Ipomoea Beloved.

What does the word "morning glory" mean - this name is derived from two Greek: ips and homoios - "worm" and "similar". Moreover, these comparisons refer to the roots of the plant.

Morning glory

Plant shape

There are annual and perennial morning glories.

Forms can look like:

  • vines;
  • shrubs;
  • small trees;
  • curly herbs.

It is interesting: Familiar to everyone, the most important edible culture of sweet potato, as well as aquatic spinach also belong to this genus.

Ipomoea appearance

The species growing in gardens and apartments are long vines (up to 5 m). Both perennial and annual types of flowers are used for planting. Bindweed has an interesting feature: flowers open early in the morning, at sunrise, and close on a hot afternoon. You can admire the whole day only in cloudy weather.

In addition to unpretentiousness, culture has a great advantage - morning glory is in great demand in landscape design. The fact is that plants can boast of the widest color spectrum of color of buds (from white to dark purple), In addition, there are species with double and single-layer flowers. At the same time, do not forget that flowering continues throughout the warm period without interruption. As a result, only different varieties of morning glory can create the desired appearance of the plantings, weave any living carpet.

Ipomoea is very much in demand in landscape design

Bindweed leaves also add a lot of decorativeness. Intense, dark emerald color, the glossy surface of large leaves, in the shape of a heart, serve as a dense base for delicate bells. In general, liana, in a short period of time, is able to ennoble any proposed site or building. Ampel types of morning glory (for example, Ruby lights) on the balcony in pots can safely compete in beauty with any other flowers.

Additional Information: the culture is photophilous, does not tolerate drought. And moderate airing of the morning glory bush is literally necessary and will only benefit.

Of the several hundred species of morning glory that exist today, only about 20 have found application in gardening.

Popular species and varieties

Why does morning glory not bloom

Ipomoea purpurea (Ipomoea purpurea)

This variety belongs to the unofficial first place among the different types of flowers. Under optimal conditions, the lashes of purple morning glory reach 7-8 m. There are varieties with double and single-layered buds. The gramophone colors are very different - from white to deep purple. Inside the variety, varieties are distinguished:

  • Star of Yalta.
  • Milky Way.
  • Scarlett O Hara.

The purple star of Paradise, loved by many, is also from this series.

Ipomoea purple stars of paradise

Ivy morning glory (Ipomoea hederacea)

Flower stems grow up to 2.5-3 meters. Leaves are ivy. Refers to deciduous decorative. Most of them bloom with medium-sized (5 cm in diameter) blue-blue buds. Shades of red are occasionally found. Long flowering, abundant.Blooms in late June.

Ipomoea nil

The length of the lashes is average. The species is distinguished by unusually large flowers (14 cm in diameter), combining various colors in one bud. Moreover, the color combinations are unexpected: brown-pink, beige-scarlet, motley.

The edges of the flower petals can also have bizarre outlines (pointed, rounded, double). The first buds on the loach appear at the end of June, and flowering stops with the onset of stable cold weather.

It is interesting: besides the beauty, the morning glory is famous for its useful qualities. It is used in medicine. There are also species with edible tubers (sweet potatoes).

Morning glory kvamoklit (Ipomoea pennata)

Also known as cypress liana. This variety of morning glory has very colorful small, deep red, star-shaped flowers and small-toed, dense emerald foliage.

Morning glory kvamoklit

The lashes are long (5 meters or more). Very unpretentious plant.

Blue (or blue) morning glory (Ipomoea heavenly blue)

Compact bushes with large (up to 10 cm in diameter) pure blue flower buds.

Prefers sunny areas. Does not tolerate stagnant water.

Blue (or blue) morning glory

Moonflower morning glory (Ipomoea noctiflora)

Unlike other species, it opens buds only at night. At dawn, the buds close.

The scourge has up to 3 m, and the flowers are fragrant, pure white, large (10 cm in diameter).

Breeding Ipomoea

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Breeders do not stop working on the development of new hybrids of morning glory. Each new flower impresses with its individual beauty.

The good news is that any kind of flower you like can be easily purchased and grown. It is available even for beginners.

Seed propagation

It is easiest to plant these flowers with seeds (including frost-resistant varieties). If for the first time you have to use purchased seeds, then next season sprouts of perennial frost-resistant morning glory will appear by self-sowing.

Ipomoea seeds

At the beginning of breeding, perennial and annual seeds can be sown directly into the ground, deepening to a level of 2-4 cm. The distance between seedlings can be chosen based on your considerations. The average is considered to be 20-25 cm.

In central Russia, sowing of morning glory can begin in May. To be sure, you can plant a few seeds in each hole and then thin out (or transplant excess shoots).

Seedling method

On a note! For more confidence in success, you can sow seeds for seedlings. Usually peat tablets are used for this, but it is quite possible to get by with the usual purchased soil for flowers.

Ipomoea seedlings are sown in March. Seeds are soaked in soft, warm water for 24 hours before sowing. Flower seeds, ready for sowing, should be swollen. If this does not happen, each seed needs to be pierced with a needle and soaked again (in fresh water) for the same time.

Seedlings appear in 10-12 days and then grow up in a warm place until they are planted in a permanent place. This usually happens in late May - early June.

Ipomoea seedlings

Seedlings are removed from containers by transshipment, planted in ready-made holes and spilled with warm water. Given the creep of the vines, it is worthwhile to install a support near each plant.

Ipomoea cuttings

Certain varieties are easier to propagate by cuttings. The procedure for harvesting cuttings is carried out in the summer (preferably in July). Cuttings are cut with two leaf petioles. The lower part should be 2-2.5 cm from the internode.

Important! To obtain new seedlings, cuttings are placed in warm water and placed in a warm, bright place. After a week, the roots will appear and the plant can be planted in a permanent place. Then all that remains is to water and weed the weeds.

Site selection and soil composition

The site should be chosen open, sunny and calm. Drafts are best avoided. The soil may be quite ordinary, but loose.

If the land is poor, you will need to add mineral mixtures. Nitrophoska, ammofoska and others from this series - that's what you need to feed the morning glory for abundant flowering.

Fertilizing the earth with nitrofoskoy

If you add organic matter, you can get thicker foliage, but fewer buds. Thus, hobbyists can regulate the plant, achieving the desired density and number of flowers.

Useful composition and recipes

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The plant is rich in vitamins A, B, C, PP, iron, zinc, calcium, phosphorus, ascorbic acid.

For medicinal purposes (as a hemostatic, in the treatment of wounds, for constipation), decoctions of dried leaves collected at the end of summer are used.

For medicinal purposes, decoctions of dried leaves are used.

Tubers - sweet potatoes are used for food. They are useful for diabetes, digestive problems, and blood pressure disorders. Also recommended for the prevention of breast and stomach cancer.

Here are some recipes:

  • To stop the blood, a teaspoon of finely chopped morning glory nodules is boiled in one and a half glasses of water for 10 minutes. After an hour, you can start taking 50 ml, 6 times a day.
  • A laxative infusion is prepared from the roots of Mexican scammonia (Ipomoea orizabena) in the proportion: 1/2 teaspoon of roots in a glass of boiling water. Steamed in a thermos for two hours and drunk in two steps.
  • To treat wounds, two tablespoons of tubers should be poured with half a glass of boiling water and left for a couple of hours. Next, a compress is applied to the wound.

Also use the root infusion to rinse the hair.

Caution! Ipomoea products should not be used by children, pregnant and lactating women.

Diseases and pests, the fight against them

Under certain weather conditions and violations of the conditions for caring for the flower garden, for some reason the leaves of the morning glory turn yellow and the leaf plates curl. This may mean that a spider mite or aphid has bred on the flower. These pests are activated by prolonged drought and stagnant air.

At the initial stage of defeat of morning glory from parasites, even a strong jet of cold water can help. Although this will most likely damage the delicate buds - gramophone.
Treatment with a saturated soap solution (200 g of grated laundry soap in 10 liters of water) will be more gentle.

Ipomoea diseases

Well, if the process has become massive, only chemicals will help. Fungicides such as Aktellik, Fitoverm, Karbofos are considered effective in this situation.

Important! Experienced growers are advised to repeat the treatment after a week.

Potential harm

The flower also has harmful inclusions. Morning glory is not only beauty, but also danger. The milky sap in the stems of the plant contains alkaloids (in the same row with morphine, nicotine, quinine, and so on). And the seeds, although not in large quantities, contain psychotropic compounds. It is very dangerous if used uncontrolled, although small doses have been used successfully in medicine (for example, for pain relief).

Morning glory flowers are a relative of LSD. The availability of planting material for any person is especially frightening. It turns out a paradox: the seeds of morning glory are available, but the alkaloids in the composition are not.

A gardener who decides to have a morning glory in his garden, in a front garden or yard, can get both beauty and benefit at low cost. Firstly, an impressive variety of varieties makes it possible to satisfy any request for decoration, secondly, the availability of the price of seeds allows a person with any income to purchase them painlessly, and thirdly, care is so easy that anyone can handle it.