How Long Does a Morning Glory Plant Grow?
More than 15,000 varieties of annual and perennial herbs and vines -- as well as a handful of shrubs and trees -- belong to the morning glory (convolvulaceae) family. The majority of the plants are native to tropical climates. Most have a climbing or trailing habit, reports the Texas A&M Bioinformatics Working Group. Their funnel-shaped flowers open and close in a single day. The lifespans of the plants themselves, however, range from a single growing season to decades. Does this Spark an idea?
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Annual Morning Glory Plants
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Annual morning glory (Ipomoea purpurea) is a 1- to 6-foot vine native to Mexico. This twining plant with heart-shaped green leaves typically blooms from early summer until frost before dying. The original vine has white-throated, purple blooms up to 2 1/2 inches in diameter. Popular annual morning glory cultivars include wine-red Darling, white-edged, red Giant Cornell, Pearly Gates with pure white flowers and Violacea with deep purple, double blooms. Blue, pink and lavender varieties are also available. Annual morning glory grows quickly to cover trellises, porch columns and fences. it needs a supporting structure and sunny, well-drained moist soil.
Perennial Morning Glory Plants
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Perennial morning glory vines have varying degrees of cold tolerance. Some, like bigroot morning glory (Ipomea pandurata) and railroad vine (Ipomoea pes-caprae) survive as far north as western New York State and western Pennsylvania, with winter temperatures approaching minus 15 degrees Fahrenheit. At 10 feet long, bigroot morning glory's root equal's the mature vine's length. This plant has 2- to 3-inch, purple-centered white blooms. Railroad vine thrives in sandy shore environments. It blooms year-round -- in warmer locations -- with pinkish-red or purple flowers. It can reach 100 feet long, reports the Floridata website. Rapidly spreading roots make this plant useful for shore stabilization.
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Morning Glory Bushes
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Bush morning glory (Ipomea leptophylla) may survive a century or more, notes the University of Nebraska-Lincoln School of Biological Sciences' professor emeritus Kathleen H. Keeler in a study reported in the July 1991 "American Midland Naturalist." The zone 4-hardy 1 1/2- to 3-foot plant has 3-inch lavender-pink summer blooms with deeper purple throats. Silverbush morning glory (Convolvulus cneorum) shrub, however, survives no longer than three years in the hard, clay soil of the Castaic Lake Water Agency's Conservatory Garden in Santa Clarita, California. Mature plants stand 2 feet high, with evergreen, silver-gray foliage. Their pink buds unfurl between June and August to reveal yellow-centered, white blooms. This morning glory shrub is hardy to zone 8.
Extending a Morning Glory's Lifespan
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Silverbush morning glory struggles in hard clay. The Missouri Botanical Garden, however, reports that it flourishes in sunny, moist, well-drained soil. Maximize your plants' life spans by selecting morning glories suitable for your hardiness zone and paying careful attention to their light, drainage, soil and moisture requirements.
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References
- Texas A&M University Bioinformatics Working Group: Convolvulaceae -- the Morning Glory Family
- Missouri Botanical Garden: Annual Morning Glory
- Virginia Tech Weed identification Guide: Bigroot Morning Glory
- Floridata.com: Beach Morning Glory
- "American Midland Naturalist"; Survivorship and Recruitment in a Long-Lived Perennial Ipomoea Leptophylla(Convolvulaceae); Kathleen H. Keeler; July 1991
- Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center: Bush Morning Glory
Resources
- Photo Credit Ipomea Volubilis à grandes fleurs bleues image by Michael BARRUEL from Fotolia.com
