It is gorgeous, but what is it?

[Noreht]

Good morning everyone. Before I post the picture I just want to give some background. I live in South Africa in the Western Cape region. We have heavy rains during winter and very hot summers. This particular plant was a surprise that came out this summer. It grew out of the roots of a fern I recently planted. I hope you guys can help me identify this one as I really want to take care of it properly.

 

[Chuck]

Morning glory?

 

[Becky]

Looks like Morning Glory to me

.... and now I've got the Oasis song going round my head!

 

[Noreht]

@Chuck brilliant!!! Thank you ! I just looked up[ a morning glory on google and that is exactly what it is. I will be doing my research and will post and update as soon as my morning glory has risen to it's full potential.

 

[Beverly]

Definitely a Morning Glory. Looks very much like the one i grow, Ipomoea purpurea. Grows beautifully. By the way, welcome to the forums. Looks like we live in similar climates.

 

[Beth_B]

Yep, morning glory and a beautifully colored one at that! In my experience morning glories are pretty resilient and don't require much attention. At least in my climate. At my last house I had some that came up every year by my front porch and I pretty much took zero care of them.

 

[Noreht]

In what climates do yours grow? I live in Cape Town so we have very wet winters and relatively hot summers. I also only have grey sand in my garden that the plants grow in.

 

[IcyBC]

Looks like morning glory to me too! They are vine plants and you should keep it under control because they can be invasive. I had some in my backyard before, and it choked my rose to dead . I had to yank out the roots!

 

[Caribbean girl]

We had morning glory flowers growing in our garden years ago. I thought they were lovely flowers. They were white ones. These flowers would open up in the morning and close up at night. I guess that is why they were given the name 'morning glory.' I love the colour of the one shown in the photo here.

 

[Noreht]

Now the next question. What is the best way to grow it further? Since it is a vine I have an idea for it to grow in the back garden and intertwine with my veranda. Are they easy to replant? What do I need to look out for?

 

[Beverly]

In what climates do yours grow? I live in Cape Town so we have very wet winters and relatively hot summers. I also only have grey sand in my garden that the plants grow in.

To whom are you addressing your climate question? Any and all, or to some specific person? MGs grow wild in Mexico, as well cultivated in gardens. I am in a tropical climate, more specifically savannah. The average year around temperature is about 25 degrees C (78 degrees F). About half the year is rainy season, the other half dry, always warm. Morning Glory will grow in just about any climate, but they are not fond of super rich soil. They prefer poor sandy soil. They do not need pampering. They will either climb or crawl, but they appear to prefer climbing.

 

[Beverly]

I have never tried to transplant an MG, but i don't know of any special care. If a Morning Glory would speak to you it would say "just get out of my way and let me grow, why are you fussing so much, don't you have anything else to do". I had one in a container that i was going to transplant early this year but it had made seeds and they grow quickly in the heat, so i just stuck a seed in the ground and almost instant MG. Another way to propagate would be to take a cutting a few inches from a node and just plop in into the ground, water regularly until established (these methods assume warm temps). MG's just love to grow. Of course, they would appreciate it if you would take steps to control the bugs that might be eating it. The variety that you have, by the way is "Grandpa Otts" and the seeds will grow true to the parent plant. I haven't seen your veranda but it sounds like it would grow nicely around columns and such. There is a beautiful white flowered night-blooming MG (Ipomoea alba). The flowers are very large and look like silk, and it is fragrant.

 

[Noreht]

I have never tried to transplant an MG, but i don't know of any special care. If a Morning Glory would speak to you it would say "just get out of my way and let me grow, why are you fussing so much, don't you have anything else to do". I had one in a container that i was going to transplant early this year but it had made seeds and they grow quickly in the heat, so i just stuck a seed in the ground and almost instant MG. Another way to propagate would be to take a cutting a few inches from a node and just plop in into the ground, water regularly until established (these methods assume warm temps). MG's just love to grow. Of course, they would appreciate it if you would take steps to control the bugs that might be eating it. The variety that you have, by the way is "Grandpa Otts" and the seeds will grow true to the parent plant. I haven't seen your veranda but it sounds like it would grow nicely around columns and such. There is a beautiful white flowered night-blooming MG (Ipomoea alba). The flowers are very large and look like silk, and it is fragrant.

Thank you for all the excellent advice. I will post some pictures as soon as it starts climbing. I think I will only use a cutting and have the original plant keep growing in the front garden as I love the color of the flower. I also read in your previous post that they enjoy sandy soil, that is exactly what I have at my home, so score!!

 

[Beverly]

Here is a link to a thread about Looper caterpillars that are known to feed on Morning Glories and any number of other plants. Early detection and some squishing can be very effective in controlling these little pests
https://www.gardening-forums.com/threads/looper-caterpillars-genus-trichoplusia.7681/