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Sunday, October 2, 2011

Glory of Morning

IMG_2008As in Morning Glories, which really live up to their name.

Because their beauty and glory are short lived – about 1 day (24  hours) to be exact.

Yesterday afternoon while walking along railroad tracks near our home, I found lots of morning glories in bloom.

After more than a week of rain, the sun had finally come out, even if briefly, but it was enough to set off these blooms.

Morning glory vine forms twining vines with bell-shaped flowers, andIMG_2022 its varieties have also become intertwined botanically under the name "morning glory." The species is native to the U.S.

These rapidly growing vines  produce flowers in red, purple, pink, white  and multicolored. are related to the sweet potato. There are even double forms. They climb quickly and are often used to decorate trellises. Since they are quick growing and dependably colorful, morning glory has become the most popular annual vine.

IMG_2079The vines grow quickly to 10 feet or more only two months after seeds sprout. Leaves are heart-shaped.

The flowers are normally open from dawn to midmorning, but new varieties will stay open longer, especially on overcast days. morning glory collageSome types of morning glories reseed prolifically to the point of becoming invasive by crowding out and covering over other plants. When this happens, morning glory becomes an invasive problem. However, unlike kudzu, it’s an annual that dies each year.

Morning glory flowers unfurl into full bloom in the early morning hours. Flowers start to fade a couple of hours before the petals start showing visible curling.

dried morning glories collageMorning Glory trivia . . .

  • The line”"What's the story, morning glory?” is the opening to “The Telephone Hour” from the musical Bye Bye Birdie.
  • On the once popular TV series Bewitched Samantha and Darrin lived at 1164 Morning Glory Circle, Westport, CT.

10 comments:

Anvilcloud said...

In the right spot they are glorious, but I did once learn that once you have Morning Glories, you have them forever -- or close to that.

Lois Evensen said...

These are pretty, but at home they have taken over our front yard. When we are away for weeks at a time we come home to a morning glory jungle. :\

Out on the prairie said...

Their colors stand out when blooming. I find them all over and enjoy their bright colors.

Anonymous said...

They are so beautiful! But I have to sow them really early here if I want the chans to see some flowers.

We do however have a couple of relatives to it here and they are seen as terrible weeds. They are either white or pale pink.

They cover huge areas and the roots can go down as low as ten yards below the surface, so they are really difficult to get rid of if one wants that. But I like them :-)

Have a great day!
Christer.

Unknown said...

They are beautiful and will grow any where, Even at the seashore

Connie said...

They're beautiful! I love morning glories. In years past, I have had some growing in pots on my front porch so the vines would climb on the step railing, but squirrels got in and dug up all the seeds I planted for them this year so none grew! Yours look lovely! :-)

Anonymous said...

I always have MG's in my garden, they are lovely and inexpensive. If you let them re-seed they are FREE! If you don't want them just pull them up, not too much of a chore.

Carole Barkett said...

how beautiful, we only have pale pink ones

Beatrice P. Boyd said...

Yes, AC. Lois, & Steve, these lovelies can be quite invasive. The ones I photographed were growing wild in brush along the local RR tracks.

Christer, I did read an article on-line about planting morning glories, but we don't want any in our yard because of the reasons you said.

Snapper II, like any invasive type plant they can be persistent.

Thanks Daisy, sorry yours didn't make it, but maybe that's not such a bad thing considering how fast they can grow!

Welcome boublehomestead, that's good advise for Daisy too.

Thanks Carole, I found quite a variety of colors; purple/dark blue is my favorite.

Tammy@Simple Southern Happiness said...

I dont think I would mind this invasive plant on my fence, what a way to start the morning.