Ornamental · Convolvulaceae
Morning Glory
Ipomoea purpurea
Tuck a few scarified seeds at the foot of a trellis and morning glory will reward you with trumpets by late summer.
Full sun
Every 5–10 days
50–95°F · 10–35°C
65–110 days
Overview
Morning glory is a fast, friendly twining annual vine that greets each day with fresh trumpet flowers and lets them soften away by afternoon. Native to warmer parts of the Americas, it happily climbs whatever it can reach, from a mailbox post to a chain-link fence, and one season's growth can rise 6 to 10 feet. The classic bloom is sky-blue, but you'll also find purple, wine-red, white, and striped forms.
The reassuring part is how little it asks of you. Full sun, lean soil, and something to climb are nearly the whole list, and rich ground actually works against you by trading flowers for leaves. Its one quirk is that it sows itself freely, so the same eagerness that fills a trellis fast can leave you tidying up volunteers for years if the pods are left to open.
Two things are kind to know before you plant. The seeds carry toxic alkaloids that make them dangerous to pets, livestock, and anyone who mistakes them for something edible. And while this ornamental annual behaves far better than its perennial cousin field bindweed, a few Ipomoea species are listed as noxious weeds, so a quick check before sowing in a new region puts your mind at ease.
Care
The short version: full sun and lean, well-drained soil, a drink whenever the top half dries out, a trellis to climb, and no fertilizer, so your reward is flowers rather than a wall of leaves.
Light
Give your morning glory full sun, which means 6 or more hours of direct light each day. It will still climb in part shade, but you'll get far fewer flowers, since the blooms really lean on sun and heat.
Water
Let the top half of the soil dry between drinks, then water deeply, which lands at roughly every 5 to 10 days. Once it's settled in, the vine handles dry spells well, and soggy soil troubles it far more than a little thirst.
Soil
Lean ground suits it beautifully. Plant in average to poor, well-drained sandy soil anywhere from a pH of 5.5 to 8.0, and try to resist enriching it, since generous soil grows leaves at the expense of flowers.
Temperature
Morning glory is a warm-weather friend, content from about 50°F to 95°F (10°C to 35°C). It can't take frost, so simply wait until the cold has fully passed before setting plants outside.
Humidity
Everyday outdoor humidity is plenty, so there's no number to chase. Hot, dry air is more likely to tempt spider mites than to bother the vine itself.
Feeding
This is one plant you can happily leave unfed. Skip the fertilizer, or reach for only a low-nitrogen feed if anything at all, because rich soil and extra nitrogen give you lush vines with barely a bloom.
Pruning
Pinch the young tips to nudge the vine into branching, and cut it back whenever it outgrows its space. Clip away the spent seed pods to stop it from sowing itself across the garden.
Repotting
Morning glory is grown fresh from seed each year as an annual, so there's no repotting to fuss over. Simply start it where you'd like it to climb and let it run for the season.
Size & spacing
Look forward to a vine of 6 to 10 feet (1.8 to 3 m) in a single season, spreading 3 to 6 feet (90 to 180 cm) wide. Offer it a sturdy trellis, string, or fence and a little room for the twining stems to roam.
When to plant
Morning glory loves warmth and gives up at the first hard frost, so there's no need to hurry it. Start seeds indoors in early spring or sow them straight into warm ground once the cold has passed, and the vine will bloom from midsummer right through to fall frost.
Northern hemisphere
Southern hemisphere
Typical months for a temperate climate: start earlier in warm zones, later where spring frosts linger.
- Sow: 6-8 weeks before last spring frost; scarify and soak seed 12-24 hours
- Plant: 1-2 weeks after last spring frost when soil is warm; or direct sow after frost
- Harvest: midsummer to fall frost (about June to October)
Hardiness
USDA hardiness zones: 2–11
Temperature: down to -46°C
Troubleshooting
Almost every morning glory worry comes down to too few flowers, too many seedlings, or a brush with mites and aphids, and all three are gentle to fix. Find what matches below and step in early, especially with self-seeding, which is far kinder to head off than to undo.
Lots of green vine and not many blooms yet
Take heart, because this is almost always a sign the plant is simply too comfortable, with rich soil or a nitrogen feed steering its energy into leaves instead of buds. Morning glory actually flowers best when it stays a bit hungry and bathes in full sun, so you can help it along by holding off on food and finding it a spot with 6 or more hours of direct light. If your vine is still young, there's no need to worry, since the flowers hold off until midsummer and are well worth the wait.
Fix:
- Stop fertilizing and avoid nitrogen-rich amendments
- Move or grow in full sun (6+ hours)
- Be patient; blooms typically start midsummer and continue to frost
Surprise seedlings turning up all over next spring
Don't be alarmed if little sprouts appear the following year, because morning glory is a generous self-seeder and any pods left to open will scatter seed through the bed. You'll recognize the newcomers by their heart-shaped leaves crowding around last year's spot. The good news is they lift out easily while young, and snipping the spent pods before they ripen keeps the whole thing gently in check.
Fix:
- Pull unwanted seedlings while young
- Remove and discard spent seed pods before they shatter
- Deadhead flowers before seed set in areas where weediness is a concern
Speckled, yellowing leaves with fine webbing or bugs
If you notice fine webbing and a dusty, speckled surface, don't panic, because it usually just means spider mites have moved in during a hot, dry stretch. Aphids like to gather on the tender new growth, and leaf miners leave pale little trails across the foliage. A firm spray of water knocks most of them loose, insecticidal soap handles any stragglers, and keeping the vine watered gives mites much less of a foothold.
Fix:
- Spray plants with a strong jet of water to dislodge mites and aphids
- Treat persistent infestations with insecticidal soap or horticultural oil
- Remove heavily mined or chewed leaves
Toxicity
This isn't a plant to grow where curious pets or small children wander unwatched, but with a little care it's easy to enjoy safely. The seeds are the real hazard, holding LSA alkaloids that cause stomach upset and hallucinations if swallowed, while the foliage is only a milder caution. Keep seed packets and dropped pods comfortably out of reach.
Toxic to
Cats · Dogs · Horses · Rabbits · Livestock · Birds · People
Cats Moderate
A curious nibble of leaf may leave a cat drooling and sick to its stomach. What really worries you are the seeds, whose LSA alkaloids can leave a cat jittery, unsteady on its feet, and clearly out of sorts.
Dogs Moderate
A dog that chews the leaves will most likely just have an upset stomach and some vomiting. Swallow a mouthful of seeds, though, and the alkaloids kick in, bringing tremors, restlessness, and a wobbly, tipsy way of moving.
Horses Moderate
Nibbling the vine can unsettle a horse's stomach and leave it dull and off its game. A bigger helping of seed goes further, tipping into twitching and a dazed, hallucinatory state.
Rabbits Moderate
Those same seed alkaloids that trouble cats and dogs reach rabbits just as easily, so it's worth keeping this vine safely out of their way. Look out for a bunny that stops eating, sits hunched, or seems unsteady.
Livestock Moderate
Cattle, sheep, and goats seldom go looking for it, yet a mouthful of seed-laden vine can bring on colic and restless, jumpy behavior. It helps to clear any stray morning glory from pasture fencing where the animals could reach it.
Birds Caution
It's kindest to treat morning glory as completely off-limits for pet birds. The seeds hold the heaviest dose of alkaloids, so tuck packets and fallen pods well away from cages and aviaries.
People Caution
No part of this plant belongs on a plate. The seeds are truly hazardous, carrying LSA alkaloids that bring nausea and hallucinations, so keep them well clear of children and never let them be mistaken for food.
Keep seed packets and dropped seeds away from pets and children; the seeds are sometimes abused for their hallucinogenic alkaloids.
Helpline numbers
United States
ASPCA Animal Poison Control: (888) 426-4435 (fee applies)
Poison Control: (800) 222-1222
Canada
Poison Centres: 1-844-764-7669
Varieties
Morning glory comes in a wonderful range of colors along with a few close relatives worth meeting. These are the ones you'll come across most often.
Heavenly Blue (Ipomoea tricolor)
This is the one most people picture, its clear sky-blue trumpets opening out from a soft white and yellow throat.
Grandpa Ott's
A treasured deep-purple heirloom, each bloom lit by a reddish-magenta star running up its center.
Scarlett O'Hara
You'll love its rich wine-red to scarlet flowers, which stand apart from the usual blues and purples.
Flying Saucers / Pearly Gates (Ipomoea tricolor)
A lovely matched pair, with Flying Saucers swirling blue and white together while Pearly Gates opens pure white.
Moonflower (Ipomoea alba)
A gentle night-blooming cousin whose large white flowers unfurl in the evening and carry a sweet scent.
Cardinal climber / Cypress vine (Ipomoea × multifida / Ipomoea quamoclit)
Charming related vines loved for their fine, fern-cut foliage and small red star-shaped flowers.
How to propagate
Morning glory is grown from seed, and the one small skill worth picking up is coaxing that tough seed coat to open.
SeedEasy
Start indoors 6-8 weeks before last frost or direct sow after frost when soil is warm · Germinates in about 1-2 weeks after scarifying/soaking; rapid growth once established
Morning glory only ever grows from seed, and it's a friendly place to start. The seed coat is hard, so nick it with a file or a bit of sandpaper and give the seeds a soak of 12 to 24 hours first. You can start them indoors 6 to 8 weeks before your last frost, or sow them right into warm ground once frost has passed, and they'll sprout within 1 to 2 weeks before growing fast. Just have a trellis, string, or fence ready for the twining vine to climb the moment it's up.
Myths
Morning glory and field bindweed are the same weedy plant.
It's an easy mix-up, but these are truly two different species. The ornamental morning glory you plant is a warm-season annual in the genus Ipomoea, with showy 2-inch flowers and heart-shaped leaves that bow out at frost. Field bindweed is Convolvulus arvensis, a deep-rooted perennial noxious weed with smaller 1 to 1.5-inch white-to-pink flowers and narrow arrowhead leaves, and it's the troublemaker that earned the bad name.