Japanese morning glory (specifically Ipomoea nil strains) I have found need good sunlight, well draining soil, and a touch of fertilizer (they need some phosphorus - the P in the NPK forumula, to flower well) occasionally to do well. It was not a good year to get these vines going in the spring, at least in Delaware, where we had cold cold nights and not so warm days for weeks on end. Did this happen in your area, thistle?

Joseph

Hi Jospeh,
Yes we did have a long cool Spring.I did start all of my Vines indoors,so they were a good size when I did put them out,but so far the growth has been VERY slow on both my Japanese M.G's AND the Butterfly Pea Vine.
We are getting some wonderful hot and sunny days at the moment but I realize that I have no chance of seeing much of a growth spurt in such a short timespan,however I will prevail and try again next year.

Do you have your plants in containers? If so, you could grow the vines near a sunny window or supplement with a lamp where you give them 8 hours of light. Japanese MGs naturally begin flowering with deceasing daylength.

Try it with 1 plant and see how it works for you - I've grown MGs indoors in winter the last couple of years with success, even got seeds.

Joseph

Thistle I had the same problem with my Butterfly Pea vines. They are still quite short and only began blooming a few weeks ago. I'm tempted to bring them in the greenhouse over the winter to see if I can get any seeds. We also had an unusually cold, wet spring and early summer. My Japanese MG's were just a bit behind, actually all my plants were a few weeks behind average but some of my Japanese varieties are the latest ones to bloom in a normal year. I hope next year is better.

Joseph, you have given me some hope. I did plant some of my M.G's in containers,and also my Butterfly Pea Vine,so I just might get to see some blooms this year, albeit in my Window.