Morning Glory: Facts and Care Tips to Help You Get to Know This Twining Herbaceous Flowering Plant

The morning glory is an annual twining herbaceous plant in the genus Ipomoea of the family Convolvulaceae. Because its corolla resembles a small trumpet, it is commonly known among gardeners as the trumpet flower, and in places such as Japan it is also called asagao. Its stems and vines are slender and soft, able to climb upward along fences, railings or supports, and its leaves are mostly heart-shaped or have three lobes, with fine hairs covering the whole plant.

The morning glory generally opens in the early morning and gradually closes around midday. A single flower does not stay ornamental for long, but the plant keeps producing buds one after another, so it can continue blooming throughout the summer and autumn. The flower colors are very rich; common ones include blue-purple, pink, magenta and white, and there are also bicolor varieties with stripes or star-shaped markings. The edges of the corolla are sometimes smooth and sometimes wavy.

Besides the common morning glory, frequently cultivated species include the round-leaf morning glory (Ipomoea purpurea) and the large-flowered morning glory (Ipomoea nil). After long-term horticultural selection and breeding, the large-flowered morning glory has larger flowers and more varied flower forms, making it a popular choice for courtyard landscaping and container growing. The sweet potato, also in the family Convolvulaceae, is a close relative of the morning glory; their leaf shapes are somewhat similar, but their uses are completely different.

Caring for morning glories is not difficult. They like sunlight and tolerate heat, and they are not demanding about soil, though they grow better in loose, fertile, well-drained soil. They are usually sown in spring after the weather warms up; the seed coat is fairly hard, so soaking the seeds in warm water for a few hours before sowing makes them sprout more easily. Keep up the water supply during the growing period, and control water moderately before flowering to encourage more concentrated blooming. When growing in containers, set up a support for the vines to climb and pinch back the tips appropriately to encourage branching.

One thing to note is that the seeds of the morning glory are called qianniuzi in traditional medicine and contain certain toxic compounds, so if there are children or pets at home, take care to prevent accidental ingestion. Overall, the morning glory is easy to grow and beautiful, making it one of the ideal flowers for vertical greening on balconies and in courtyards.