How to Grow Morning Glories: The Complete Morning Glory Flower Guide

Two delicate vivid blue and pink flowers of morning glory plant in a a garden in a sunny summer garden, outdoor floral background photographed with soft focus
Photo Credit
Cristina Ionescu/Shutterstock
Botanical Name
Ipomoea tricolor, I. purpurea
Plant Type
Flower
Sun Exposure
Full Sun
Soil pH
Neutral
Bloom Time
Summer
Fall
Flower Color
Blue
Pink
Purple
Red
White
Hardiness Zone
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
Special Features
Attracts Butterflies
Attracts Songbirds

Also receive the Daily newsletter including gardening tips, weather, astronomical events, and more.

No content available.

Planting, Growing, and Caring for Morning Glory Flowers

Catherine Boeckmann

Want to grow morning glories? This plant, with its romantic tendrils and trumpet-shaped flowers, is beloved by butterflies and hummingbirds. It’s often mistaken for a perennial weed with the same name. Learn how to plant and grow morning glory flowers!

About Morning Glories

NOTE: This guide is NOT about the perennial weed that shares the common name of “morning glory.” That plant is classified as a noxious weed in many states. Read more below. 

Morning glories are tender annuals, so they are sensitive to cool temperatures and late frosts. They bloom from early summer to the first frost of fall. 

Their fragrant, colorful flowers come in pink, purple-blue, magenta, or white colors. Pollinators love Morning Glories’ trumpet-shaped blooms.

Train twining morning glory vines over a pergola or arch, or use them as a dense groundcover. This drought-tolerant plant grows quickly—up to 10 feet in one season—and can self-seed fairly easily. Because of this, you’ll want to choose where you put this plant wisely! Otherwise, you may have more morning glories than you bargained for.

Warning: All , especially in large quantities. Keep them out of reach of children and pets.

Annual Versus Perennial Morning Glories

The attractive annual morning glory (Ipomoea spp.) is often mistaken for its perennial cousin, field bindweed (Convolvulus arvensis), a very troublesome, invasive weed native to Europe and Asia. 

Field bindweed—also called “perennial morning glory” or “creeping jenny”—grows similarly to our annual morning glory but sends out deep, deep roots (), which make it very difficult to get rid of and allow it to overwinter in areas where cultivated morning glories could not. 

To tell the difference between the plants, look closely at the leaves, flowers, and vines:

  • The leaves of the annual morning glory are heart-shaped and large (2 or more inches across). Field bindweed leaves are shaped more like an arrowhead and smaller. 
  • Annual morning glory flowers may be pink, white, magenta, blue, purple, or red. Field bindweed flowers only occur in either pink or white, and blooms are much smaller than annual morning glory.
  • Morning glory vines are usually thicker than bindweed vines and typically have small hairs.

In any case, if you come across a plant in your garden that resembles Morning Glory and you know you didn’t plant it, it’s best to err on the side of caution and treat it as a weed. 

Read Next

Planting

Choose a sunny spot. Plant in moderately fertile, well-draining soil to encourage good foliage growth followed by plenty of flowers.

Finally, choose a location that is sheltered from strong, drying winds. Give them a fence, lattice, or trellis to climb up so that vines don’t crowd out other ground-level plants.

When to Plant Morning Glories

  • Sow seeds as early as possible after the danger of frost is over.

Purple Morning Glories

How to Plant Morning Glories

  • Germination rates are improved by filing down the seeds just enough to break the outer coat and then soaking them for 24 hours before planting. This encourages them to send out a root (it looks like a little worm). 
  • Cover lightly with 1/4-inch of soil. Space seeds about 6 inches apart.
  • Water thoroughly at planting.
  • Seedlings should appear in about a week; some seeds may be stubborn and take 2 or 3 weeks to sprout.

Growing

  • Apply a balanced liquid fertilizer after planting. Do not over-fertilize, or the vine may grow more foliage than flowers.
  • Support this climbing plant with structures like trellises, pergolas, or arches.
    • Tip: Morning glories climb by twining their vines around a support, so make sure that whichever type of structure you grow them against has plenty of space for whorling! 
  • Morning glories are low maintenance; just be sure to water during particularly dry periods.
  • Mulch to retain moisture and suppress weeds.
  • If you don’t want the plant to reseed itself, pinch off old flowers before they turn into seedpods. This can also encourage the plant to keep producing more flowers. 

Purple morning glory vining over a wooden fence

Types

  • ‘Heavenly Blue’ are the classic morning glories with rich azure (blue) flowers and white throats. These plants climb to 12 feet.
  • ‘Sٳ ’H’ has bright red flowers with a white throat. It climbs to 15 feet.
  • Here are more recommended morning glory varieties!
'Heavenly Blue' morning glory. Photo by Heike Loechel/Wikimedia Commons.
‘Heavenly Blue’ morning glory. Photo by Heike Loechel/Wikimedia Commons.
Gardening Products

Wit and Wisdom

growing morning glories inforgraphic

Pests/Diseases

Morning glories are fast-growing and are rarely bothered by pests or diseases to a significant extent.

Morning Glory Pests and Diseases
Pest/DiseaseTypeSymptomsControl/Prevention
AphidsInsectMisshapen/yellow leaves; distorted flowers; leaf drop; sticky “honeydew” (excretion) on leaves; sooty, black moldKnock off with water spray; apply insecticidal soap; inspect new plants carefully; use slow-release fertilizers; avoid excess nitrogen; encourage aphid predators such as lacewings, ladybugs, spiders
Fusarium wiltFungusPlants wilt (sometimes one-sided) in daytime; later, entire plant wilts/dies; stunting; yellow leaves; poor flowering; roots rot; stem cross-section reveals brown discolorationDestroy infected plants/ roots/surrounding soil (do not compost); remove plant debris regularly; disinfect tools; resistant varieties; avoid excess nitrogen; in acidic soils, raise pH to 7.0; weed; 3- to 5-year rotation
Leaf minersInsectMeandering blisters in leaves caused by tunneling larvaeRemove infested leaves; weed; use row covers; till soil early in season; rotate plantings
Leaf spot (fungal)FungusVaries; leaf spots on lower leaves enlarge and turn brown/black; fuzzy growth or pustules in lesions; disease progresses upward; leaves dieDestroy infected leaves/ severely infected plants (do not compost); remove plant debris regularly; disinfect tools; resistant varieties; good air circulation; avoid overhead watering
RustFungusVaries; orange pustules on undersides of lower leaves/stems; spots on upper leaf surfaces; foliage distorts/ dies/drops; stunting; poor flowering; plants weakenedDestroy infected parts/severely diseased plants; remove plant debris regularly; disinfect tools; resistant varieties; good air circulation; avoid overhead watering; weed
Flowers
About The Author

Catherine Boeckmann

Catherine Boeckmann loves nature, stargazing, and gardening so it’s not surprising that she and The Old Farmer’s found each other. She leads digital content for the website, and is also a certified master gardener in the state of Indiana. Read More from Catherine Boeckmann
 

More Like This

Comments

Amy (not verified)

7 years 4 months ago

I have my flowers growing in a large container and up until two weeks ago they were thriving. They've climbed at least 12 feet and are flowering. However, the lower half of the plant is now very bare of leaves and they are looking yellow. Is the normal progression for this vine? It gets full sunlight and I'm trying hard not to overwater it. I've not yet fertilized it based on some other articles but I'm wondering if I should start? The soils had some long acting fertilizers but that was several months ago now. Looking for some suggestions.

I'm having the same trouble and am wondering what I'm doing wrong. They seem to wilt quite quickly in the hot sun and I do keep them well watered. Perhaps I should have been giving them more fertilizer, but I have lots of buds and flowers. Did you get any suggestions to deal with this problem?

Janet (not verified)

7 years 4 months ago

If you grow morning glories be prepared to do a LOT of weeding. The seeds come up all over the place. I would not recommend planting them. The new hybrid seeds revert back to the Wild morning glory and it is very difficult to control.

cg (not verified)

7 years 5 months ago

can morning glories grow in phoenix, az (zone 9b)?

thank you, Claudia

Ray (not verified)

7 years 3 months ago

Hello Claudia, I live near Palm Springs Ca and we have the same temps as you. I planted some seeds along my wall in the back yard and forgot about them. A few months later they are growing EVERYWHERE! Lol. So yes I would say they would be fine there.

justin (not verified)

7 years 5 months ago

OK so I have a well established morning glory plant that is potted in a hanging pot and the temperature has been in the mid 80s and also humid because I am in upstate ny. Everywhere I look says they enjoy full sun but when mine are in full sun for even 4 or 6 hours they wilt. They don't have any flowers yet but lots of runners. I put it in shade and the leaves perk back up and it seems to do a whole lot better. I'm sure it is morning glory. It's the heavenly blues.

Deborah (not verified)

7 years 5 months ago

My morning glories have no blooms but lots of runners?
Vines look bright green but a little yellow closer to the soil.

One reason might be that your plant is getting too much or too little water. Morning glories need well draining soil—neither too sandy, in which case water would run through it, nor too thick/composted which would cause water to puddle and not drain. (If you are using a container, does it have adequate holes?)  Morning glories are tropical plants, so they need a lot of direct sun. Is yours getting about 8 hours of sun?

Suzen (not verified)

7 years 6 months ago

In Thailand, MG's are a staple vegetable prepared as a stir fry. We ate them every day and I have found recipes online. They are delicious. I know seeds are toxic and they only used the greens (no flowers). Do you know if all morning glories are edible or are there any varieties that should not be consumed? Are they nutritious?

Betsy (not verified)

7 years 1 month ago

Thai Morning Glory is not the same thing as Western Morning Glory. If you are looking for Thai MG to stir fry look in an Asian grocery store for Chinese water spinach.