Moonflower - Evening Morning Glories - Annual Vine In Bloom - Late September 2024

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Yesterday, I posted a photo of my tallest Nicotiana Jasmine in bloom that was direct-sown in our sideyard flower garden.  I mentioned that those seeds came from Nat's Mom and that she grows Nicotiana every growing season.  That wasn't the only packet of seeds she shared:  she gave one of the kids a packet of "Evening Morning Glory" - Moonflower.  I didn't post about it, but I also direct-sowed a few of these seeds.  They're BIG.  Like cherry-pit-size.  I tucked them into the bed and forgot about them.

Moonflower - Seed Packet

Moonflower - or Evening Morning Glories are a vine and have big blooms.  But, they're ephemeral.  

The Observant Gardener has a post up titled "Be Patient With Moonflowers" that overviews this flowering (annual vine) and the features.  Here's a couple of blurbs:

One of the most exotic plants that I have ever grown is the mysterious and stunning moonflower. This is not an easy plant to germinate, but it is worth the effort....

...A unique feature of the moonflower is that it blooms at dusk and each bloom lasts for only one night. However, the effect of seeing these large white blossoms of approximately eight inches wide at night is magical. Nighttime pollinators, such as moths and bats, are attracted to the moonflower's sweet scent.

As for germination, I followed the instructions to soak these for a bit, then 'nick them' to break the seed coating.  I guess what I did "worked" as I now have a flowering (annual) vine ambling along the side of my house - reaching for ANYTHING that it can grab.  That includes Dahlias, Zinnias, and the house.  

On a recent morning, I came out to find one of the LARGE blooms - wide open.  It was six-to-seven inches across and BRIGHT WHITE:


White Moonflower - Big 6" Bloom in the early morning

What did I do wrong?  I didn't give these enough trellis to grow *up*.  So, it grew out.  That's ok.  Something to think about for next year.  I 'picked' this (mostly) broken garden windmill to serve as a trellis, but failed to put it to work.  Remember for 2025, Jake.  

The other thing that I'm noting is that over the years, I've drafted (and NOT finished) a number of posts talking about annual vines - and my desire to grow some.  I should take a little credit - I finally grew one here.  Put it on the board - 2024 to-do (even though it wasn't on that list). 
Location: Downers Grove, IL, USA

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