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lavender_lass

Let's talk about morning glories and moon flowers :)

lavender_lass
13 years ago

I have a metal arbor with two benches that I got on sale at a local store. It will be in my kitchen garden and I would love to cover it with something that will provide shade.

Although I've considered using vegetables, I really want more coverage and something with bigger blooms. Morning glory and moon flowers are so pretty together. I especially like the moon flower, since the white will show up so well at night. I'd like to add white petunias and maybe some other fragrant white flowers, like alyssum. Any other ideas?

Also, do morning glory or moon flowers attract a lot of bees and yellow jackets? I have all kinds of flowers specifically for the bees, but I'd like them to stay away from the seating...if possible :)

Comments (20)

  • mindysuewho
    13 years ago

    I haven't seen a lot of bees around morning glory or moon flowers. Last year, I had moon flower vine, white impatiens and white four o'clocks (I think it was alba) around my patio. It was very nice at night. The four o'clocks only reseeded very lightly, not as heavily as other kinds of four o'clocks.

  • newyorkrita
    13 years ago

    I love the Heavenly Blue color of Morning Glories and moonflowers are so pretty. I haven't had them in years now that I think about it. I had them together one year and I loved the combo.

  • lisa33
    13 years ago

    As I just posted in the moon garden thread, I have planted moonflower vine in two places by my front porch. With one, I planted Heavenly Blue morning glory as a companion so that I'll have blooms morning and night. I started them all from seed and had a heck of a time getting the morning glories started. It amazes me how vigorously the self-seeded ones are growing in my garden in comparison. I don't get it!

    Lisa

  • natal
    13 years ago

    I've grown both and never had a problem with bees.

    Didn't plant either this year, but I've found a couple moonflower volunteers.

  • Oakley
    13 years ago

    Honey bees love Moonflowers. At least they do mine.

    I have mixtures of both MG's and Moonflowers around the acre and they're beautiful. In fact, we bought a new arbor today for the Morning Glories!

    Tip. Morning Glories thrive with lots of water. We discovered that by accident one summer when it did nothing but rain. lol

    Morning Glories growing up a barbed wire fence.

    {{gwi:655208}}

    The corner of the house which is full of both plants.

    {{gwi:684252}}

  • Oakley
    13 years ago

    Forgot to add, my Moonflowers don't vine, they grow into a large bush. I guess they could vine if I stuck something there.

    One thing you need to watch out for, since the Morning Glory's get very dense, it is possible for Yellow Jackets to build nests in them. You sound like me, I hate those things, I got stung for the first time a month ago on my ear, they had made a nest in the Ivy which is also dense and you can't see it!

  • tinam61
    13 years ago

    I have moonflowers planted with morning glories. Got them seeded late this year so they are not very high yet. Moonflowers will grow up to 15 feet, so maybe not as high as morning glories, but they will vine. I have a large metal structure for these to grow up. Last year I had them in a different area of the landscaping and they grew up a tall wooden pole.

    I've not noticed bees around either of mine. Yellow jackets typically build in the ground.

  • Oakley
    13 years ago

    Tina, here in OK. yellow jackets make their nest (paper nests) on tree limbs and thick vines. There are other types of wasp that make their nest in the ground, but they live alone unless they're Hornets. Yikes! We have a ton of Oak trees and an orchard, and we kill many many yellow jacket nests all through the summer.

    There must be many types of moonflowers because in the picture of mine above, that's as big as they get. They grow like weeds here, sprouting up all over the place which is really nice!

  • natal
    13 years ago

    Are we talking about two different moonflowers? There's Ipomoea alba the typical vine ... and then there's Datura inoxia which is a shrubby plant and I'm guessing what Oakley has in her pic.

    This pic of moonflowers (Ipomoea alba) was taken a few years ago:

    {{gwi:684253}}

  • tinam61
    13 years ago

    I guess things are different in OK.

  • aimeekitty
    13 years ago

    my mom is always a huge fan of moonvines. (she lives in South Carolina, I live in California) She has one growing up her shed with little decorative glass gazing balls near it. She gave me seeds from hers and now my seedlings are slowly sprouting.
    {{gwi:623113}}

  • lavender_lass
    Original Author
    13 years ago

    Thank you all for the encouraging responses! I'm excited to try growing both on the arbor. It's so cold here in the spring (23 F last night) that it's hard to give the seeds an early start...so I'm going to try growing them in pots. The potting soil will be much warmer than the wet clay and I'm hoping they'll vine up to the top of the arbor and maybe even cover the top :)

  • newyorkrita
    13 years ago

    Renee- Love that morning glory teepee and the cosmos too. They look great together.

    All this talk of moonflowers made me start to soak some seed yesterday. I already have some heavenly blue morning glory planted.

  • still_learning_2010
    13 years ago

    I just got my moon flower vine seeds a few days ago. Soaked them, and then sowed them in Miracle Grow potting soil and now I see them poking through the soil. Is it too late to plant moon flowers? How long before the vine starts growing and when can I expect to see the first bloom? I am in central NC.
    Thanks!

  • natal
    13 years ago

    I don't think I've ever gotten moon flower blooms before August.

  • Linda Ricketts
    13 years ago

    Oh, I need some viney things to cover a trellis, but it is not in direct sun. Will either of these still grow?

  • Oakley
    13 years ago

    Cute, Tina. But I tend to agree with Natal, it's two different species. Unless Oklahoma has its own special Moonflowers. :)

    My Moonflowers began blooming two weeks ago.

  • tammyinwv
    13 years ago

    I had a huge MG that covered a great deal of one end of my front porch , beside the swing several years ago. I dont remember ever having problems with bees there.
    Tammy

  • cindysunshine
    13 years ago

    I just love MG - I had them in my small condo garden in Ohio and they were just so lush and beautiful! I loved the way they would climb overtop the fence and peek out on the outside - it was sortof naughty. The condo assc had a rule about things growing over the fences and one day the grounds crew cropped off the naughty parts - LOL.

    {{gwi:638308}}
    {{gwi:684255}}
    [IMG]http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b50/CindyBertinetti/0808090834a.jpg[/IMG]

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