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david_oklahoma

1st Moonflower blossom

david_oklahoma
17 years ago

I have my first flower of the season. Has anyone else had one yet? I should have three more by tomorrow night. Ya gotta love em!

David

Comments (9)

  • rere53
    17 years ago

    Hi David, We have had as many as 100 blooms so far this year. They are so pretty when our bushes are in full bloom. Last year my husband counted 499 blooms on our 5 bushes in one night. The smell was so heavenly. I can't wait to hear about when you have that many blooms. Good Luck!!!!!!!

  • david_oklahoma
    Original Author
    17 years ago

    rere53, O my Word!!!!!!

    That is wonderful. Last year, was my first year to have Moonflowers. I got them, by accident, in a load of compost. I have never had as many blooms as you. West Texas, or your husbands gardening skills, must have something to do with it. I mention his skills because your personal page states "he" grows the Moonflowers, *smile*.

    My plants are only about 18" tall so far. Maybe our cooler weather has something to do with it? Do you, or your husband, do anything in particular to have such great results?

    David

  • rere53
    17 years ago

    David, my husband Jim has a green thumb when it comes to growing moon flowers. They are his babies so I leave them to him. LOL!!!! His bushes are 3 years old this summer and making flowers left and right. He does use Miracle Grow on them once a month and waters them every evening as they are so big. Our soil here has a lot of sand so it drains really fast. Other people that we have given moon flower seeds to say they are having good luck with theirs down here. Give it some time as it took 2 years for ours to get 9 feet tall and with the bushes so full of blooms that you couldn't hardly see the green leaves. My husband wants to know what part of Oklahoma do you live in. We are from Oklahoma ourseleves, but have been here in Odessa for the last 22 years tranferring with the oil field work. All of our family lives around OKC, Moore and Norman area. Jim's mother grew moon flowers when they lived in Moore 35 years ago and they were so beautiful. We would all go and stand around on the side of the house where she had them, watching them open and smelling them. We have so many people that will drive by our house and stop and asked what kind of flower we have growing by the front fence. When we tell them, most have never heard of a moon flower down here. LOL!!!!! When Jim's moon flower bushes are full of blooms I will take a picture and send it to you. Jim's bushes are just about 4 1/2 feet tall at this time. Well I gotta go it is bedtime, hope to hear from you soon with a wonderful story about how your moonflowers are doing.
    Jim and Maria Wright

  • jezsgranny
    17 years ago

    Hi..just new to the 'moonflower seeds'. Planted some of the seeds, (after chiping off a corner to help make the growth faster?) and have not seen anything yet...has been two weeks. So went to a small hardware close by to pick up more seeds (thought I'd soak them this time) and found 4in pots of starter vines and 4in pots of moonflower 'bushes'. Well the customers in the store probably thought the "old lady" at register 5 was going into Cardiac arrest!! I never knew they had starter plants of the vine, much less a bush!! They are in the ground already...I thought for some reason, they would come up year after year..but the tag that came with them said 'annual'...your thoughts?

  • david_oklahoma
    Original Author
    17 years ago

    Holy moley...........9FT TALL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!??

    I didn't know the bushes would come back every year. I thought they simply reseeded themselves each season. Am I understanding right.........if I don't pull them, they will come back next year too?

    Tell Jim I am in the Tulsa area. I have a son in OKC and another son and mother in Stillwater.

    I am looking forward to seeing the pics of Jim's Moonflowers. Last year my bushes got to around 4 1/2 feet tall, but when fall set in I pulled them out. I didn't know they would come back out again.

    David

  • krazykatz
    17 years ago

    Hello, My name is Rebecca and I just started Moonflower seeds. I purchased 10 on ebay and was guaranteed 100 % germination. That has not happened. I did get 2 to germinate and I am trying to soak the rest to see if they sprout. Should I plant these in the ground now? They are still very tender. I have them in small square containers now. Should I pot them onto bigger pots or just put them in the ground?

    Anyone offering seeds this year I would love some! forsweetrebecca@yahoo.com

    Rebecca

  • david_oklahoma
    Original Author
    17 years ago

    Hello Rebecca. If I were going to plant them in containers, I would use styrofoam cups. That way when it came time to plant outside I would just cut the bottom out of the cup and bury the cup. Easier for planting and easier for you.

    Rebecca, I would prefer paying shipping for someone to send me some plants and not the seeds. I know it would be more expensive ($20.00), but I am not a patient person and it would be worth it to me to eliminate that "waiting thing". I just sent some plants to someone in Kenilworth, NJ. They have never seen a Moonflower. I sent them "overnight delivery" so they would not be out of the ground too long. Last report, the plants are doing fine and should have a bloom soon. I think I am more excited than they are! I also sent them some Spider Flowers. They will love those too. The great thing about Moonflowers is, they are so easy to transplant.

    I know how you feel about buying the seeds and being disappointed. I spent $40.00 bucks, total, on fig starts off eBay and all, but one, croaked and even it doesn't look too good. I really want a fig tree, but after that experience, everytime I feel like I would like to try a fig again, I just go lie down until that feeling goes away. I found out, later, I could have bought a little tree from the store for half what I spent. My wife used to say, " David, you are the typical "type A" personality, expecting perfection in everything, leaving no room, whatsoever, for disappointment." Do I need to tell you she was a "Type B"? Ohhhhhhhh to be a "type B". Life could be so much more simpler!

    Well, I see it's past daybreak outside so I will go check things out. I ran off a good batch of coffee this morning so I will get another cup and stroll about the place.

    Happy mooning,

    David

  • rommy
    17 years ago

    Hi! Hoping you can answer some questions? What color are your flowers on your moon flower bush? I went to watch a friends flowers open last year and they gave me a bush this year. Actually 3 bushes. I gave one to a neighbor and planted the other two. The smaller one died and the other one is doing great. It has been blooming for about a week now and is still producing buds in the top. My friends was much bushier and had many flowers last year. I am sure mine will do better next year after it is more established. My friend got her's from her mother in law who has a whole lot of them. They say they spread. The flowers are yellow and so pretty when they open they almost look fake. I also have planted some moon vine seed in late April that is just beginning to start vining.. seems to have taken forever to me. Do you think I will get blooms from it this year? Thanks for any input! Have a great summer!
    Rommy

  • david_oklahoma
    Original Author
    17 years ago

    Rommy, I did not have any success with my vine last year. The bushes are my personal favorite. My blooms are white and so beautiful. Datura has become my all time favorite. I want a Jasmine tho. I don't know anyone with one, personally, so I don't know how they take the heat, sun, or if the root system is invasive.

    David

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