Sunday, August 30, 2009

To Plant Or Not To Plant, That Is The Question ?

I am in need of some gardening advice...


Earlier this Summer I planted Heavenly Blue Morning Glories, the annual variety, started from seeds.

The seedlings were transplanted into an old wooden tool box, where they now reside, and are happily weaving their viny tendrils in and out of the picket fence.




This being my first year planting Morning Glories, I am impressed by their vivid and showy blooms, until I read they are extremely invasive, and should be avoided at all costs.

Upon Further reading, I discover the culprit, to be the perennial Morning Glory a noxious weed which will spread and choke out everything.

According to one source " run as fast as you can in the other direction" if you're thinking of planting this insidious weed.

How can something so beautiful, be so ugly ?

If any of my fellow blogging friends know the answer, or have experience with this plant, I would welcome all suggestions.

13 comments:

Betsy Banks Adams said...

Hi Jo, I haven't had Morning Glories yet --but would love some around my mailbox (where there aren't many other things it can KILL.

I like them --but it's as my father-in-law says, a half-day flower--since it only blooms int he morning.

IF you keep them, I'd put them where they won't choke out other things you have...

Good Luck.
Hugs,
Betsy

blushing rose said...

They will take over EVERYWHERE & EVERYTHING! Beautiful as they are, I'd keep them very confined. Enjoy!

Have a beautiful week. TTFN ~ Marydon

Cass @ That Old House said...

I planted the perennial type once .. they didn't do well, didn't come back, didn't invade ANYTHING.
Your annual vines look fab. I would try them for sure!
Cass

Daffycat said...

Hummm, I tried Morning Glory only to have them turn brown and shrivel up in the heat, get infested with spider mites and feasted upon by grasshoppers. It never stood a chance to become invasive. My mother had them on a trellis at the corner of her house for many years. They would come up from seed. She did have only annuals in that bed.

Good luck, whatever you decide!

Wanda..... said...

Hi Jo...
Morning glories are good at reseeding, so once you plant them, you don't need to replant them, but to reduce their reseeding remove all the vines and seed pods toward the end of the season...or thin in the spring. I think they are too pretty not to grow...just plant them in their own special spot.

Smiles,
Wanda

Patsy said...

I have had them and never had a problem with take over. But I guess they could only if you let them by not chopping around the ground where you don't want them.
Hope that made sense. I just love the blue.
Patsy

BALLET NEWS said...

Hello, you have such a beautiful blog I just had to leave you a small note to say thank you for sharing it ! You have written some lovely interesting and creative posts, and you have great pictures too. Perfection !

Best wishes....

Anonymous said...

I have heard the same thing about morning glories, and I too think they are too beautiful to not at least try them.
I don't know ANYTHING about gardening, but what would happen if you just cut them back as they started to get in places you didn't want?
Wish I knew more!
Good luck, whatever you decide to do.

The Prodigal Tourist said...

Don't grow them if you like things in their place, they won't stay put if they're happy--our neighbor grows these and they definitely get around and creep through our fence. His entire garden's a jungle so he doesn't care as long as plants (or weeds!) are everywhere, but on our side that area has lawn and we don't want vines there. In the back we're always pulling the white ones out of our bushes, though I don't think the blue ones are as aggressive.

donna baker said...

Methinks it's too late Jo. I haven't planted any in more than 10 years and every year they still come peeking up on their own. I can pull all of them when they still have two leaves, but somehow, they still come back (even in places they never have). They aren't that bad though. And, they never have the huge blue blooms they did that first year.

A Brit in Tennessee said...

Thank you everyone for your comments...it seems to be a mixed bag, some for, some against.
I'm going to have to give this some thought, I certainly don't want the vines running over everything in the garden.
That beautiful blue bloom makes it hard to look the other way :)

Anonymous said...

I do not have experience with the perennial flower; just the noxious weed! Nothing kills the weed. But I love the blue flower look. It's beautiful.

RhondaL said...

When I was growing up in northern Kentucky, my mother had morning glories running up a trellis on our back porch. We had to replant them every year. They did not spread. And we grew them from seeds every time.

I love morning glories, so your photo gave me a pang of nostalgia. I now live in a shady yard in New England, and I haven't seen a morning glory for a very long time.

BTW, your blog is gorgeous and fun. Lovely work that, from this point-of-view, doesn't look like work. :)