How to Grow White Moonflower

White moonflowers bloom at night.

White moonflowers are fast-growing vines that present exquisite star-shaped blossoms from dusk to pre-dawn during midsummer. Their stark white blossoms glow in the moonlight and have a delightful fragrance.

Moonflowers are related to the wild morning glory and often grow 12 to 18 feet in one year. In their native habitat they are perennial, but are grown as annuals in colder areas. Moonflowers do well when grown from seeds sown in the garden or started indoors. Sow seeds outdoors in warm climates and after frost is past in cold climates.

Things You'll Need

• Garden spade
• Trellis or twine support
• Organic mulch
• Liquid houseplant fertilizer

Instructions

1. Cultivate the soil with a garden spade to 8 inches deep.

2. Place a 10- to 15-foot vertical trellis or a twine support close to where the seeds will be planted.

3. Soak the seeds in warm water for eight hours before planting.

4. Sow three to four seeds for each vine and cover them lightly with 1/4 inch of soil.

5. Water the seeds directly after planting, then regularly until seedlings appear in seven to 21 days.

6. Thin out seedlings---if needed---to 5 or 6 inches apart, keeping the healthiest ones.

7. Place a 2- to 3-inch layer of mulch around the seedlings to help retain water.

8. Train the seedlings to climb on the trellis or twine support when they are 4 to 5 inches tall.

9. Water regularly throughout the growing season.

10. Fertilize lightly once a month with a water-soluble houseplant fertilizer.

Tips & Warnings

• Select a site that gets direct sunlight six to eight hours daily.

• Moonflower seeds and parts of the plant are poisonous if ingested.

References

• Fine Gardening: Morning Glories and Moonflowers
• Garden Hobbies: How to Grow Moonflower Plants
• The Flower Expert: Moonflower

Resources

• University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture: Moonflower-Plant of the Week