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Moonflowers, also known an Evening Glory (Ipomoea) is a night blooming vine with huge, delicately fragrant flowers that open in the evening with white attractive blooms. I always plant these annuals near the screened-in back patio where we can see them as the garden lights or moon shines on them and we can enjoy their wonderful fragrance whenever we sit out in the evening.
These large, white and sometimes pink blooms are usually 4 to 6 inches in diameter and only bloom at night lasting until the dawn’s early light hits them and then they close up again. They have large, smooth blue-green leaves.
Moonflowers are like a vine and grow to about 14 to 15 feet tall. The seeds are quite large and need to be nicked with a file and soaked overnight in water prior to planting. The seeds need to be planted 10 to 12 inches apart. It is said that Moonflowers should be planted when the moon is increasing in light or is a new moon. These seeds are poisonous if ingested.
They need an average amount of water and must be watered regularly, but do not over water. They like a mildly acidic soil with a pH of 6.1 to 6.5.
The Moonflower will germinate in 14 to 21 days and they take 60 to 90 days to bloom. They love full sun and will stand some partial shade and even poor soil so you can basically sow them anywhere that these beauties can climb up on a trellis, string or some sort of support.
Moonflowers self-sow freely if you do not deadhead them each year. You can sow them outdoors in the fall directly from seed and after the last frost each spring directly from seed. You can also germinate the seed in a damp paper towel.
Should you wish to collect Moonflower seeds you can collect the seed head/pod when the flowers fade allowing them to dray on the plant stem. After the Moonflower pods are dry break the pod open to collect the seeds.
Moonflowers do well in our zone 6 as an annual even though they are said to be hardy from zones 8a to 11 where they are a perennial. Moonflowers do not like frost and once the first frost hits them they might survive if the frost is light. Planting next to the house or a building helps them.
Moonflowers seem to be disease and insect free. Wherever you plant them mulch around their base to keep the weeds down and to help conserve water.
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Author Bio Box: Arlene Wright Correll
 For more gardening or cooking information click http://www.learn-america.com/
To see Arlene’s Gardens and to read her gardening diaries or click on Arlene’s Books where you can download or buy her gardening & cook books. Arlene says, “All my royalties from the sale of my books go to the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and I thank you for visiting my site.”
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