Noxious weeds may not be introduced. (Ariz. Rev. Stat. Ann. 3-210) Penalties for violations range from misdemeanor citations to fines not exceeding $5,000. ( Ariz. Rev. Stat. Ann. 3-215)

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I don't think a nursery will risk a $5,000 fine for you.

Why do you want that particular species?

This vine not only spreads by seeds, but also it's roots...it can get really nasty in hot weather.

It's hard to get rid of and if you should happen to die or move your neighbors with any planting areas will probably not enjoy it's lasting legacy.

The seeds escaping via animal/bird to agriculture lands are a nightmare. With proper moisture this plant spreads and grows like crazy.

Also, all Ipomea L. are banned in ARZ for being noxious weeds.

It may seem funny because there are Arizona-native Ipomea "morning glory" types that fall under this sale ban, but it's one of those things where the damage it does to agriculture or native habits is worse if humans exaggerate it.

Well none of these responses are as helpful as I would have liked. I know that they are a "noxious weed" but I've seen posts on this forum and others sharing seeds anyway, so I thought I'd try.

I want this "particular species" because it is a beautiful plant and after looking at many different options, it's one that I would like to cover my garden fence.

Outlawing plants, urgh humans. >.Thanks anyway, you guys.

I can't speak for the other guy, but I'm trying to tell you that your desires aren't as important as the state's agriculture or your neighbor's yards.

You might think otherwise, though.

They sell Moonflower seeds in other states. My Aunt lives in Minnesota and she gets seeds and grows them. I lived in Michigan. I have grown Moonflowers but I was very careful to not let any seeds go anywhere including reseeding the plant. So I enjoyed the Moonflower for one season. I never saw any neighbors with Moonflowers. But I am a very careful grower.

bizar
You don't have an email in your "my page" ...

Please email me through mine. I would like to talk to you about a few things.

JoJo

Moonflowers are some of the least invasive species out there in the family when it comes to weediness, but it's one of those plants the entire state is better off not having to deal with.

The stuff goes crazy when an animal drops it's seeds or it spreads anywhere near a fertile patch of soil (such as a piece of farmland) or any area where nutrients and excess soil moisture can feed it. It does amazingly well enough with the bad soils and limited water most people feed it. It's one reason it's a popular dry-climate climber.

Heck, it's even mentioned in Kim Nelson's "A Desert Gardener's Companion" which is very Arizona-heavy in information.

Hi bizar1620,
Are you still here? If so, email me through the "my page" I would like to talk to you about some vining plants. I am in Tucson also. You don't have your email listed, so I cant get ahold of you.

JoJo

I just bought moonflower seeds here in phoenix at one of the home and garden centers. Every one else must have bought them also because there weren't many left.

Hey Bizar, and e1 else reading!
Hope the gardens are doing well, it's finally starting to warm up a bit!

OK, I'm just throwing my bit in here everyone because I LOVE this plant and have grown it in the past, so please, please... don't start...and don't email me with harassing notes and quips...Lol =p

AnYwAy: To (further) answer the question; Yes, the garden centers in Phoenix do sell Moonflower seeds. Try Lowes or Home Depot, I know I saw some at a number of the Lowes stores, and Home Depot would most likely have it just the same. Otherwise, check it out online since there are quite a few sites that sell the seeds. (But you'll pay a bit more this way than if you find it at the stores here, of course if it's $12 in gas to get somewhere that carries it here, might be worth ordering it online. Lol. I think the packets cost $1.95 a piece or somewhere near it @ Lowes...).

I would recommend putting it into a hanging planter, or contained pot, and be responsible when it's in it's flowering/seed producing season (not sure when it is here in the Valley). The plant is amazing when in full bloom, I have grown it (not here so again, don't start !) and it took 2 months in a tropical environment to get 4' long in a hanging pot. You should have no trouble containing it in Phoenix. Since most Ipo. are NOT tolerant to high heat and drought (argue if you may, but 120 without water will kill just about anything...except native plants, or plants from similar environments abroad...) it's highly unlikely that it will eat your neighbors house anytime soon! Haha.

I completely understand regarding the 'outlawing plants' feeling. Most of the time, what we/they do to try and avoid hurting the environment hurts it more than to start with! Refusing to see or accept a fact, on whatever personal level, does not change that fact =D

Hawaii F&G thought it would be a good idea to import Mongoose to kill back the Rat population long ago...What the then-officials didn't think about was that rats are nocturnal while Mongoose are diurnal, so mongoose get in the trash during the day, rats at night. The Mongoose also eat bird eggs, so it hurt the native bird species greatly on a number of the Islands.

They also introduced the Wolf Snail, to try and control the African Snails there...The snails took on baby African snails, but weren't large enough to take on the adults. The Africans reproduce in higher numbers, and the wolfs started to prey on the native species instead, causing a number of them to become nearly extinct and/or critically endangered. Some of these arboreal snail species live in only a SINGLE tree, on a SINGLE mountain, on a SINGLE island. Talk about "oops!"

Eco-We-Want-to-Help-Blunder Example number 3...Australian officials imported 110 live Bufo marinus toad specimens, bred for the purpose, from the Hawaiian Islands in an attempt to manage a beetle species which lives on and eats Cane Sugar there. Toads are terrestrial, and the species does not climb; the beetles live on the tops of the leaves, halfway up + the Canes, the two never see one another.

Talk about not seeing the forest for the trees....Haha.

OH WELL! Hope you found the seeds you were after, good luck with them, and sorry if it makes anyone angry or gets you in trouble! Heh heh. Take care and all the best!

"Most of the time, what we/they do to try and avoid hurting the environment hurts it more than to start with"

This one is pretty open/shut.

It's banned because they wreak havok with agriculture. It's open/shut with no grey area. Just because people want an excuse to do what they want to doesn't make it any less of an agricultural threat.

That said, moonflowers are one of the lesser invasives in the family.

No amount of snarkiness or dismissive attitude will make it any better of an idea to spread the plant around, though.

There's no need to feel like anyone is being attacked or yelled at. If someone tells you not to dump sewage into your neighbor's yard, but you really don't want to deal with it and would rather someone else deal with it...well, that don't make it justified to dump your sewage on your neighbors. Some people want to feel justified about bad ideas, though. If someone disagrees it doesn't make it an attack. It just means there's people rolling eyes at inconsiderate neighbors if they know better than to introduce it.

Hi bizare! Most members of the ipomoea family that are grown as ornamentals are from the tropics and are not capable of forming feral populations on unirrigated desert land. Don't let the fear mongering Miss Grundys worry you with their paranoia about ecological disaster! Just dont toss any of your excess seeds into ArizonaÂs irrigated rice paddies, cotton, or alfalfa fields, or along stream or river beds, and dangerous morning glory vines will not strangle and eat the local flora and fauna or reach into windows at night to terrorize small children.

Because I choose to be completely selfish and unconcerned about other people, IÂm currently trying to sprout some very old moonflower seeds I have from last century. So far, no luck. I grew several types of morning glorys last year, and so far I have had no volunteer sprouts. It required constant vigilance to keep them watered well enough to survive in the desert, and as far as I know none of my neighbors or their pets disappeared. IÂm very irresponsible and have shared seeds from the morning glorys I grew last year with a few friends and neighbors. Perhaps we will succeed in destroying an endangered species! If I knew you personally, I would be antisocial enough to share some of my old moonflower seeds with you, but as others have suggested, they arenÂt too difficult for the average gardening sociopath in Arizona to obtain if they want them.

Yes, life is hard. Poor everyone.