🌅 Morning Glory
Ipomoea purpurea
Opens at dawn, closes by lunch, reseeds forever — the flower with main-character energy.
Sun
Full sun, 6+ hrs
Days to harvest
90-120 days from seed
Spacing
6-12 inches apart
Soil pH
6.0-7.0
How to grow
Nick the hard seed coats and soak overnight, then direct sow after frost danger where it can climb — fences, trellises, arbors. Morning glories want poor soil; rich soil grows a jungle of leaves with few flowers, so don't fertilize. Give them something to climb on day one or they'll climb each other into a tangled mess.
Water & feeding
Water to establish; quite drought-tolerant once growing — neglect improves flowering.
Common problems
- Self-sows aggressively — deadhead if you don't want volunteers forever.
- Japanese beetles skeletonize leaves.
- Seeds are toxic if ingested.
Harvest
Flowers last one morning each — enjoy them with coffee; deadhead to extend bloom and limit self-sowing.
Nerdy fact: Morning glory flowers track a circadian rhythm so precise they open before dawn even in constant darkness. The plant has an internal clock and it is never, ever late.