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Ipomoea purpurea is a popular fast-growing annual plant. Its large bright flowers will serve as an excellent decoration for a summer cottage and will delight the eye throughout the whole summer - until late autumn.
General description of the species
Morning glory (Ipomoea purpurea) is an ornamental herbaceous plant that belongs to the Convolvulaceae family. Its homeland is Central and South America.
Ipomoea Purpurea is famous for its rapid growth of shoots: depending on the climate, in a short time they reach a height of 4 to 7 m, capturing all the available space, and in one night they can wrap around a low support. The longer the warm season lasts, the more the morning glory stretches out.
The shoots of the plant are branched and long, covered with hairs. On a climbing stem with characteristic short pubescence there are bright green, heart-shaped, pointed leaves with oblong petioles. The length of the petioles is up to 12 cm, the leaves grow from 4 to 18 cm in length and width. They also have harsh pubescence.
Large funnel-shaped flowers up to 6 cm in diameter are located singly on a small peduncle. The plant got its name from their purple-red hue. The color of the flowers can be very diverse: pink, crimson, violet, crimson or purple. There are both plain and striped, variegated, terry colors. The internal pharynx is most often white. The flower is delicate, naked, without hairs, consists of 5 fused petals.
The photo of Ipomoea purpurea shows a mixture of flowers of various shades.
Ipomoea purpurea blooms profusely from June until the first frost. The flowers are highly photosensitivity and live only for a day. The petals open in the early morning and close when the midday sun becomes too hot for them. In cloudy and cloudy weather, the flowers remain open throughout the day. In extreme heat, on the contrary, they open towards evening.
Ipomoea purpurea bears fruit in a three-lobed capsule with seeds inside. Seeds are 5 - 7 mm long, glabrous, black or light brown. The seed capsule contains from 2 to 4 seeds.
As you can see from the photo, Ipomoea Purpurea is quite compact and does not take up much space, since it grows vertically.
Ipomoea Purple is unpretentious to the composition of the soil, but prefers fertile, loose soil. Ideal conditions for it would be to grow in tropical and subtropical climates, but gardeners successfully cultivate morning glory in central Russia.
Morning glories grown in the middle zone are annuals, as they are not able to survive severe frosts. However, under ideal conditions, Ipomoea purpurea can grow for several years.
The plant prefers well-lit areas protected from the wind. In the shade, the decorative value of the plant decreases: morning glory flowers fade and become rare. The ideal location would be the southeast and southwest side. As morning glory grows, it needs support, which it will subsequently weave around.
Ipomoea Purpurea grows and develops well in warm, humid climates; frosts are fatal to it. She cannot tolerate air temperatures below 5 oC. During periods of drought, it needs spraying from a spray bottle, watering and liquid fertilizers.
Varieties
Gardeners prefer such varieties of Ipomoea Purpurea as Ultraviolet, Crimson Rambler, Beauty of Moscow, Blue Venice, Maura, Caprice, Milky Way, Venice Carnival.
Other popular varieties:
- Scarlett O'Hara. The variety is distinguished by bright raspberry-pink flowers with a white core with a diameter of 7-10 cm, blooms profusely.
- Milky Way. Tall plant (up to 4 m), white flowers with violet-blue stripes.
- Starfish. A low liana (up to 1 m) with flowers measuring 12 cm, painted white with five bright pink stripes, repeating the shape of a star.
- Grandee. Height is about 2 m. Flowers are 12 cm in diameter. The inner throat is not white, but pale pink.The color itself is dark purple.
- Flying saucer. One of the varieties with the largest, up to 15 cm, white-blue flowers. The height reaches 2.5 m.
- Call. Delicate bluish-lilac flowers 12 cm with a pink center and a white border. One of the lowest vines, grows up to 1 m.
- Giselle. The variety is characterized by long and abundant flowering. The flowers are large (about 15 cm), lilac-blue.
- Kiozaki. The variety is characterized by a spectacular appearance. Height up to 2.5 m. Small corrugated flowers (up to 5 cm in diameter). Their color can be snow-white, deep purple or purple with a white tint around the edges.
- Night. Bright purple flowers with a white inner throat. Grows up to 3 m in length.
- blue sky. Pale blue flowers up to 10 cm in diameter. Height 2 m.
- Red Star. The variety reaches 3 m in height. Red-pink flowers with a white splash in the middle.
However, the most famous varieties of Ipomoea purpurea remain Paradise Stars and Starry Waltz.
Starry Waltz
Seeds produced by the agricultural company "Aelita". As you can see from the photo, the variety Ipomoea purpurea Starry Waltz blooms with large funnel-shaped flowers up to 12 cm in diameter. The length of the stem can reach 3 m.
The photo also demonstrates that the Ipomoea purpurea variety Star Waltz is characterized by a mixture of flower colors. On one plant they can be of several shades at once: blue, light blue, snow-white, pink and purple. It is thanks to this that the variety is very popular among summer residents and gardeners.
The flowering period lasts from July to September. For its abundance and duration, it is important to water, weed, loosen and fertilize the plant in a timely manner using mineral fertilizers.
It is recommended to plant seeds in open ground at the end of May.
Heavenly stars
The variety Ipomoea Purple Paradise Stars also has a mixture of colors. Beige, pink, purple, bright blue and pale blue flowers appear simultaneously on one vine.
The flower Ipomoea Purple, Stars of Paradise, thanks to its bright, large foliage and long, abundant flowering, will serve as an excellent decoration for a summer cottage: the vine can cover fences and walls with a lush green carpet.
Planting seeds of Ipomoea purpurea Paradise stars in open ground begins in the spring, in April, when the average daily temperature rises above 10 oC.
Reproduction methods
Most often, Ipomoea purpurea is propagated by seeds. You can buy them at a garden store or assemble them yourself.
Procurement of Ipomoea purpurea seeds begins in the fall. It is important to wait for the boxes to fully ripen, which occurs a month after the flowers wither. The boxes are dried until they crack, the seeds are separated, wrapped in paper bags and stored in a dark, dry, well-ventilated place until spring.
The plant is also propagated using cuttings. To do this, on branches 15 - 20 cm long, having 2 internodes, make an incision at an angle of 45 degrees. The incision should be approximately 2 cm below the node. The lower leaves must be removed, and then place the cutting in a container with clean, settled water.
Cuttings of Ipomoea purpurea are kept at room temperature until the first roots appear. Afterwards they need to be transplanted into the ground. The rooting process takes 1 - 2 weeks. Fertilizing with Kornevin will not be superfluous.
Rules for planting and care
In southern regions with a warm climate, where spring frosts are replaced by warmth already in April, the seeds of Ipomoea purpurea are immediately planted in open ground.
Since about three months pass from the moment of planting morning glory to the opening of the first flowers, gardeners in Siberia and central Russia prefer to grow seedlings. Planting is carried out from early March to April. In such a climate, sowing seeds in open ground may be too late, and morning glory will not have time to bloom, or the first flowers will appear towards the end of the season.
The soil for Ipomoea Purpurea must be loose and nutritious and contain mineral and organic substances. The following soil composition is best suited for young seedlings:
- 2 parts leaf soil;
- 1 part coconut fiber;
- 1 part peat;
- 1 part vermiculite.
Planting and caring for Ipomoea purpurea seedlings: photos, step-by-step instructions.
- In the spring, before planting, seed preparation begins. They are soaked for 24 hours in water at room temperature.
- After swelling, morning glory seeds are sown several at a time in small pots to a depth of about 2 cm. The soil must first be moistened.
- To ensure that the sprouts sprout as early as possible, the pots are covered with film on top and the room temperature is maintained at about 18 oC. Every day you need to remove the film and ventilate the seedlings.
- The first morning glory sprouts should appear in 2 weeks. After the fourth leaf appears, the seedlings are picked and planted individually.
- When the sprouts reach a height of 15 cm, it is necessary to build a small support for them.
- Seedlings are transplanted into open ground when the air temperature at night does not drop below 5 for a week. oC. The distance between sprouts should be at least 25 cm.
When planting seeds in open ground, scarification is first performed. To do this, the outer shell is damaged and the seeds are left in warm water for a day.
Planting is carried out at daytime air temperatures above 16 oC, the ground should be well warmed up. The seeds are planted several at a time in holes 2-3 cm deep at a distance of 25 cm from each other and the soil is slightly moistened.
When choosing a place for planting, you should remember that the plant loves places well lit by the sun and protected from the wind. Liana prefers slightly acidic, light soil. The area can be prepared in advance by adding the following mixture to the soil:
- 4 parts peat;
- 2 parts sand;
- 1 part humus.
Aftercare
Care after planting in open ground includes fertilizing and regular watering. During the period of growth and formation of flowers, Ipomoea Purpurea is actively watered, without waiting for the soil in the root zone to dry out. As autumn approaches, watering is reduced.
Feed Ipomoea purpurea every 2 - 3 weeks, preference is given to fertilizers based on potassium and phosphorus. It is recommended to periodically loosen and mulch the soil.
With the onset of frost, Ipomoea purpurea is completely removed from the site. The plant is sometimes brought into a warm room for the winter, then it can be used for cuttings in the spring.
Disease and pest control
Morning Glory Purple may suffer from the following diseases.
- Root or stem rot. Dark brown lesions form in areas of the plant. The cause of the disease is the fusarium fungus. It cannot be treated; the plant must be dug up and burned.
- Soft rot. A characteristic feature is softened parts of the stem.In this case, morning glory must also be removed and burned.
- Black rotcaused by a fungus. The stem becomes covered with dark spots, from which pink liquid is released. Treatment with a fungicide will help save the plant.
- White rust. Characterized by the appearance of small round spots with a white coating of fungus. The affected parts of the plant are removed. Morning glory is treated with a solution of Fitosporin.
- Anthracnose. Occurs when overwatering, growing brown spots appear on the leaves. The affected foliage is removed, the soil and plant are treated with a fungicide.
Application in site design
Landscape designers often use Morning Glory for vertical gardening; the plant serves as an excellent decoration for gazebos, arches, fences, fences and walls. With its help you can hide all the shortcomings of country houses.
Ipomoea Purpurea looks good in combination with climbing plants: virgin grapes, thunbergia, clematis and campsis. When planted next to fruit trees, morning glory branches will entwine the trunk in an interesting pattern, making it a blooming work of art.
Conclusion
Ipomoea purpurea is an ornamental plant that many gardeners and landscape designers love for its ease of care and bright, attractive appearance. Liana can transform and make even the most unremarkable corner in the garden unique.
