Moonflowers

[rubyslippers]

Hello All! I am new to this forum so, "Greetings". I am posting in response to the featured moonflower/privacy screen article in the most recent edition of Cottage Living. I am currently renting a little house (while my husband and I search for the perfect cottage) with a partial-wrap-around porch. I have a few challenges considering I am a renter; so, I believe the majority of my gardening this year will be "container-gardening". (Not my favorite way to go about things.) With that said, this little moonflower privacy screen struck my fancy as being unique and attractive. I was wondering though if I could possibly mix morning glories into the mix in order to have more perpetual blooms. My experience is that morning glories like to be a smidgen dryer than moonflowers; so, I was seeking advice from someone with a greener thumb than mine. Plus, is anyone aware of the lighting needs for such a privacy screen to thrive. I am considering an area that will receive direct sunlight in the morning; however, around noon, the light will become rather indirect and wane throughout the afternoon. Anyway, I would appreciate any advice from the forums!

Sincerely,

Jenny

P.S. In a few more weeks, I am going to need help with little sweet-cherry tommy-toes in containers ... I did not grow them last year because I was afraid of containers ... however before I post regarding this, I am going to read through the forums because I am willing to bet someone has debated this in the past. Happy planting to all of my fellow spring-fever planters.

[dedavis]

Welcome! This is a fun place, lots of nice people.

I was intrigued by that moonflower privacy screen too. I've never grown them, but I have grown morning glories. Maybe you could do the whole thing with morning glories--they come in lots of colors. And they will like the direct sunlight, although the afternoon shade may slow them down a little.

As for tomatoes in containers...tomatoes have two kinds of growth habits: determinate and indeterminate. The indeterminate ones keep growing, and have the potential to get really big. The determinate ones tend to be smaller, and only get so big. Depending in the size of your container, you will want to choose carefully. Most places that sell tomato starts stick to the kinds that do best in that region. Around here, it's all Early Girl, Beefsteak, and Sweet 100 cherry tomato. Maybe stick with what you can find this year, and after you have some experience, you can hunt down more interesting varieties. I've had a lot of fun with heirloom tomatoes over the years.

Good Luck!

Deb

[rubyslippers]

Doing the entire thing with morning glories really is a good idea. While the blooms would not be 24/7 as they just might be with a morning glory / moonflower combo , I could get a greater color variety going couldn't I? Also, I guess it wouldn't be the end of the world to set up two containers (one of each). The area I am considering would take two of those metal tubs pictured in the catalog to truly be successful as a "screen". I just thought the combo would be pretty (if it worked).

Thanks again!

P.S. I have always done well with the sweet 100's ... BUT ... I have always planted them in the ground and "staked-them". It sounds like I have a lot of "twisting-and-twining" ahead of me this spring. It will be fun though ... I plan to put impatiens in my shaded areas ... then, some herbs in containers on the stairs leading up to my porch. That is about all I plan to do this summer. (In renting, we are not in "control" of our lawn. I call our lawn guys the Nascar Lawn Crew. I wanted to plant a flower-bed around my mailbox; however, I believe I would come home to find little petals strewn about the yard. Sad.)

[Memmey]

Hi Ruby slippers, nice to neet you. I am somewhat of an expert on morning glories since I have planted them and cannot get rid of them. There is a perrenial morning glory that stays on the vine all day even in the BLAZING hot sun. I don't know the name but you should not have a problem finding it. The blooms are huge and it is glorious but very invasive if you don't watch it, which is what I didn't do. I didn't watch it and I have it everywhere and peple think it is the most beautiful thing. I would tell you that morning sun is the best thing for it. The moon vine will open around 4 or 4:30 and the morning glory will be on there all day. The moring glory could over take the moon vine. I would make sure my pot was big so that it doesn't dry out so fast. You want to avoid wilt and refresh and wilt and refresh it stresses the plant to much. I could mail anyone who wants it tons of perrenial morning glory I have tons and tons of it. The blooms are big with pink throats it looks like something lalique. You idea sounds so great and I wish you luck, remember annual morning glory blooms fade off at noon, perrenials don't.

[rubyslippers]

So Memmey, as the resident morning-glory lady, would you give this a shot with both moonflowers and morning glories in the same pot? Also, can a morning glory "creepy-crawl" six to eight feet in order to create that "screen" pictured in the magazine? Also, bluntly, I'm worried about that metal container pictured in the magazine. I know you can purchase those at a variety of home-stores, etc.; however, I have been thinking that if I want that "look", I am going to have to drill holes in the bottom of that container to make sure there is some level of drainage. (I am afraid the root systems will rot if I don't allow them to drain well.) So many questions for what appears to be a pretty simple project. How well do moonflowers/morning glories transplant? I could go ahead and start them indoors now; then, I could be sure to plant them in a way that did not "choke" the others. Just an idea. (I can see my sweet husband now since we don't have a ton of room ... my house is going to be like a container gardening petri-dish if I'm not careful.) Ha-Ha. Anyway, thanks for the warm welcome to the boards. It is a pretty day here in Tennessee (even if it is a bit chilly) ... so, I am itching to beat the dust out of my carpets, clean everything with something that smells lemony, and plant my summer veggies. (Realistically, it will be a little while before I can really get going with this endeavor to insure I miss the last frost ... but better to do the planning now!)

[Lisa S]

Welcome! Good luck with your gardening. Please send your yard guys right over.

[Memmey]

Well I can't find my book for the picture so I will tell you that morning glories will cover a moon vine up. Moon vine is slower growing (they have fragrance did you know that?) Moon vines are gonna put on a bud that will mature and mature and then the evening of it's bloom it will unfurl and viola! The flower is twisted and untwists as the evening progresses. There are not that many on each vine when compared to a morning glory. You can nick the seed of a moon flower and place it between wet paper towels and keep them moist and it will sprout .If you plant them as in in the ground it will take time for it arrive out of the hard seed. I don't know what you are doing with the screen but they need deep moist (not wet) soil with drainage because they are gonna root pretty heavily if you put more then one in the pot. Plant them seperate so you can move the moon away in the event of a hostile take-over. I'm not a know it all but I have planted them for years and the best advise is to make sure they adequate room in a large pot so when the vine is big you won't wake up one day and your beautiful screen has dried up and died in the summer heat.:( Did you find a perremial morniong glory in your plant books, I think it is from the impomea(sp?) genus. goood luck send pictures:) oh yeah...seeds are better for the moon vine but a transplant for the morning glory would give it a head start, they don't shock to easy with root stimulator.

[Chyna]

Would sweet peas work better than the morning glories with the moon flowers? I don't even know why I ask since I have no/nada/zilch luck with sweet peas. I'm beginning to think that I'm one of those people who just can't grow them. I've started indoors, planted outdoors when they say you should, put seeds out when the neighbor suggests it (she has tons of them). They are turning into the bane of the yard!

[RoseMary]

I don't suppose those morning glories could take over honeysuckle could they, Mem? If so, I'd be willing to pay for some!

[Lucille1963]

My honeysuckle is absolutely tame compared to my morning glories!

[RoseMary]

That sounds good to me. There's no way I could call my honeysuckle tame! You can plant something in the middle of yard and a few days later--honeysuckle is trying to kill it! Makes it hard for my roses to grow--well, that and black spot, LOL!

[Memmey]

It sounds like I am the offical spokesperson for the morning glory at the National Horticultural Society..LOL It is just that when they come back up this year I will be hoping that it doesn't grow over the top of my salon because it has grown under it like an alien web. Don't get me wrong they are spectacular, twice the size of the annuals and the blooms last ALL DAY and they can be used as a cut flower, if you like the twining over the edge of the vase look ( I do). I would say that to have a screen of them would be a piece of cake. Wisteria left unchecked can also be horrible but pruned is fabulous. Pruning being the appropriate word. Rosemary want some? I can mail you some in a ziplock, yours will make it there safe your not too far. I'll need you to sign a wavier that dissolves me of any liability if it takes over your property..LOL Honeysuckle around here doesn't bloom all season, morning glories are all season into fall. Your 100 word essay on the pros and cons of morning glories will be due Friday, single spaced and typed....it counts for 20 percent of your grade so do your best.:D

[rubyslippers]

When it warms up a smidgen, I am going to watch the sun exposure on the area of the porch in consideration VERY carefully to make an ultimate-call regarding the moonflower vs. morning-glory great-gardening-debate. Check this out ... my first post EVER on the cottage living gardening boards and we have managed to nominate a morning glory president AND solve the world's problems with container tommy-toes ... now, as for that honeysuckle ... best wishes ma'am ... maybe you just need to think positively (it smells good and it is not kudzu ... wow, that is a stretch). Anyway, I really do appreciate all of the feedback and the warm welcome. I will happily post pictures if I manage to make this work.

Was anyone else somewhat enthralled by that article? Maybe it was just one of those things that "leaped" off the page at me because in my mind's eye, I believe this is a project I can actually manage on my porch.

Have a good evening,

Jenny

P.S. I would happily send the NASCAR lawn-crew your way if my landlord would deduct their expense from my monthly rent ... every penny saved is one step closer to my own little cottage. (I'm weird, I actually like to mow my own lawn.)

[Lucille1963]

My honeysuckle is absolutely tame compared to my morning glories!

I just wanted to add that since I live in Chicago my Morning Glories die every winter.

[dedavis]

Morning glories don't make it past the first frost in the fall here. And they are slow to get going in the spring. I have tried nicking the seeds and soaking them overnight in a wet paper towel. It helps, but it stays cool so long here that they don't have time to really grow and bloom. I think they like it hot. I'm going to keep trying.

Tanya, I had trouble with sweet peas too, until last year. Give 'em lots of manure and sun, and start early. They'll grow slowly, but when the days and nights get warm, they'll take off. If seed falls on the ground, it will winter over and sprout in the spring when conditions are right. I've gotten really early peas this way.

In my experience, you can't be delicate with a honeysuckle. You've gotta wade in there with the pruners and have no mercy. Does anybody ever use the pruned vines for craft projects?

Deb

[Lisa S]

My friend and I used curly willow branches to make a trellis. They came out beautifully. Big surprise bonus was when the curly willow took root!

[rubyslippers]

Someone was looking for this (and I'm sleepy) ... so, it didn't dawn on me to just bump it up ... best of luck.

[acadia2431]

Moonflowers smell wonderful and, as their name implies, they bloom in the evening and at night, while Morninglories...well, you guessed it. Moonflower seeds have a hard shell and are somewhat slow to germinate. Before planting you may want to nick them with a knife and submerge in water for a day.

[SusiesQs]

Jenny, just wanted to know how your moonflowers are coming along? Would love to see some pics. My MIL told me she was going to plant some after reading the article and she was in search of the silvery-ish bucket they used to plant the flowers in. ;)

Let us know how the progress is coming along! :)

Susie

[cheapdiva]

The idea of using willow branches intrigues me! what a great idea.

[rubyslippers]

It was in the low 40's here the other night ... I live in the southeast ... weird weather. I found one of those silver-buckets at World Market though ... I am getting ready to ask for some help in the gardening-world.

Thanks for the interest ... I like the willow branch idea as well cheap diva ... the screwing things into the porch with the string, etc. looks really neat until you go outside to actually "do-it". Then, you sort of panic with a ... what am I going to do with this in the fall feeling. (I haven't given-up ... just slammed at work and the cold-snap has me a little nervous).

Let me know if anyone else is "trying the article".

Bye!

Jenny