Morning glories (Convolvulus sp.) are some of the latest annuals to bloom.
Morning glory seeds have a hard seed coat. The seeds need a good, twenty-four hour soak before planting. This adds an extra step to growing them from seed, but I was determined to include these old-fashioned beauties in my garden.
I have a “thing” for blue, and blue flowers and morning glory blooms are about as blue as they get.
In mid-August and the vine was vigorous, reaching up to the top of the nine-foot arch. Yet, there were no blooms.
Getting morning glories to bloom is a common problem. Here’s what I discovered.
Morning Glories Bloom as Late as 120 Days after Germination
Bloom time depends on the species. I planted ‘Clark’s Heavenly Blue.’
Since the first seedlings died, I probably wasn’t ready to transplant seedlings outside until June.
My plants weren’t blooming until late August.
The upside is that the morning glories were appreciated at a time in the growing season when most of the plants had finished their bloom show.
Less Fertilizer Is Better
Once, I grew the most beautiful tomato plants you ever saw. The foliage was green and voluminous. The plants never drooped or spotted.
And we never got a tomato.
My over-zealous addition of fertilizer had cause this disappointment. The plants put all of their energy into growing, not reproducing. Fertilizing lesson learned.
Morning glories bloom best without added fertilizer. Though I use homemade compost in my garden, I don’t use added fertilizer on most plants, except potted ones.
The morning glories are in the vegetable garden, so I’m hoping over-fertilizing is not the problem.
Do you have any plants that are causing you bloom anxiety?
Hopefully, our warm temperatures mean a long autumn season, and time to enjoy many more flowers even as the hours of sunlight wane.
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