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Cottage Style ~ Morning Glory In Bloom

August 13, 2013

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I'm taking the easy way out again ~ this time in my garden!  My signature "I want it done now, super cheap and super easy" decorating method employed in every inch of my home, extends to my garden as well.  

Of course, I would, for sure!

What I don't want, is all the work that goes into cultivating that garden and maintaining it.  I am more of a design girl, that's the part of the decorating process I really enjoy.  I prefer to dream, draw and envision and while I do find something meditative about sticking my hands in the dirt once in a while, I would frankly rather have my feet in the pool!

So my gardening philosophy is pretty simple, harness the power of perennials, weeds and wildflowers ~ my favorites, morning glories!  They are prolific growers, super hearty and whether I seed or not, they come back every year.  

Technically they are annuals, but one sixty-nine cent seed packet purchased several years ago has been providing flowers on my garage wall on its own, without any intervention from us ever since!

It really is a case of one man's junk is another man's treasure when it comes to certain flowers, morning glories are a perfect case in point.  Many people feel that they are insidious weeds, bent on taking over the entire garden.  There are tons of articles online touting the proper way to destroy them, so they do not take over your garden and choke out your flowers. 


I prefer to embrace their exuberance!  We have a wooden trellis attached to the garage wall and then run twine from the trellis to nails anchored in the soffit.  The plant naturally takes the path of least resistance growing around the strings.

Occasionally we need to clip an errant vine, but honestly, it's unusual; its neighbors have never been strangled.

I promise. 


To be fair, it does pop up in other areas of the yard from time to time and depending on its placement, we either leave it or rip it out.

However by August the flowers are so bright and pretty, and we do enjoy the rambling cottage garden style, that we tend to leave it.



Super cheap, requires no special attention and comes back year after year to dress up our patio area, it doesn't get any better than that!  So what's your thought ~ are morning glories a worthless weed or garden treasure?












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  1. I love the look of morning glory, but the neighbors behind us do absolutely no gardening and their morning glory climbs over the fence and strangles my bird of paradise, palms and hibiscus. I spend a lot of time cutting back the morning glory so our trees thrive.

    I think I need to train it on a trellis like you have done.

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    1. Oh boy, I remember as a kid, my mom used to make me rip it out of our pool area, as it was strangling the pansies and petunias. It definitely has a mind of its own. The trellis really does help, of course, we choose to have it in our yard. I can imagine that it would be very frustrating to have to manage someone else's "gardening" choices!
      Try a trellis or some randomly patterned twine, it may help. Good luck!

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  2. I love morning glories! We just moved to this house last summer and I just planted seeds about a month ago. Also planted hyacinth bean seeds. I'm waiting for both of them to bloom. :)

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    1. Hi Stacey! Thanks for popping by to check out my yard and my morning glories! I am all about easy plantings, too! Like I said, it's a good think I like that cottage look!

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  3. ooo! lovely pictures, the flowers are beautiful!

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    1. Thanks Allie, I've been working on my pictures! :)

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  4. I love morning glories ... never thought of them as a weed. Need to think about planting them next year.
    You have yours "trained" nicely ... they look beautiful Great picture of the single bloom.
    Thanks for stopping by Timeless Treasures with a nice comment. Hope you will join me and visit often.
    Audrey Z.

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    1. Thanks Audrey! I am working on my photography skills, I appreciate you noticing! :) Your blog is lovely, those chairs are super sweet and I love the pics of the newborn deer...the one in the nest?? Oh my goodness, so precious! Thank you for taking the time to pop over, it was very kind of you!

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  5. I love morning glories. Really it's just a matter of being diligent when you see them spring up in an unwanted place. We've grown all kinds but the big blue ones are my favorite. Lovely patio. Thanks for sharing.

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    1. I've seen some scarlet red ones (I'm kind of obsessed with red!) that I would love to plant next year, don't think that they are as big as the blue ones, but maybe worth a try! Thanks for popping by!

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  6. Morning Glories are lovely plants and yours are gorgeous. Unfortunately there are 2 kinds. There are the cultivated ones like the Heavenly Blues but there are also the white ones which are the weed referred to as bindweed. Bindweed is the one you DON'T want in your garden. I've been fighting it for years. In my Pacific Northwest garden the roots go down forever. I'm sure the birds "gifted" it to me originally. But I do plant the lovely blue ones every year and love them.

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    1. Ah yes, the white ones, I remember weeding those out of the fence surrounding my pool growing up...it was my never-ending, Saturday morning, teenage chore! Joy also commented that there was probably a difference, thanks for clearing that up! I am an amateur gardener at best and I always love learning new things! Thanks for taking the time to comment!

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  7. It's been several years since we had morning glories. They are so pretty, we should do them again. I think I know where...down on the fence by the creek. We have a perennial silver lace vine on our patio and absolutely love it. That is another easy one and it comes back with no effort....so far.

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    1. I have never heart of perennial silver lace, but if it's easy and comes back with no effort, it sounds like it's right up my alley! Thanks for the tip!

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  8. I'm wondering if there is a difference in wild Morning Glories vs. those we buy and if you seeds might be a bit different than the wild ones that tend to take over. Also, the wild plants don't have near as many blooms as those purchase. This is my 3rd yr here and my haven't bloomed. So, I just keep yanking them up before they take over.

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    1. I agree Joy, I'm sure that they cultivate the ones you buy to bloom more and perhaps even spread less! Ours bloom very late in the season, mid-August and they are gorgeous, big, purple flowers. They are definitely worth the wait, maybe you'll get some blooms next year, just when you least expect it!

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  9. I loved it the first few years I grew it. Then I let it have its way and it was totally out of control last year. I didn't let it grow at all this year because I spent so much time ripping it out last year!

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    1. I have to say, so far it's been pretty tame. Then again, we have a small yard and it's in a rather restricted area...but it could break out at any time and if it does, I'm ready to rip! ;)

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  10. Great solution, Amy, that's the perfect trellis~ win, win! :)

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  11. Oh, I think it's beautiful! I, too, love a fresh, green space to relax in, but I hate the work involved! I think I may try this approach when we move into our new house next month!

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    1. Elizabeth, I highly recommend this easy shortcut, especially when moving into a new home and there is so much to accomplish on the inside! Best of luck in your new home! :)

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  12. So pretty! I love morning glory too! I have it growing on an old iron bed, can't wait for it to bloom!

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    1. Thanks Sharon, I have seen pictures of your garden and they are amazing! I would love to see the iron bed in bloom! I have to say, I really do love that vine and it does wonders to brighten my view of that garage wall!

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  13. Love your sweet garden and Morning Glory! It is such a dear old fashioned flower and goes so well with hollyhocks and such! You have a great green thumb!
    Visiting from A Stroll Thru Life-
    Happy Hugs,
    Jemma

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    1. Thanks for the kind words, Jemma! It really is a sweet flower and it does compliment our old home very well. What's even better is that it is so easy to grow it makes me look like an expert gardener (and I am definitely not) ~ Thanks for taking a peek!

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  14. Love 'em...I plant morning glories every year. I like them growing up the side of my porch. Yours look just wonderful! :)

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    1. Thanks Deb, they are very cheerful and much better to look at than that bland wall! :)

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  15. Oh wow, so pretty. Thanks tons for linking to Inspire Me. Hugs, Marty

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  16. Kim I know what you mean about the Morning Glories! Thanks so much for reminding me as I haven't had them in a few years now (my climate must be harsher than yours?). I used to have them growing all over my mailbox and they looked so gorgeous - I totally forgot. It's too late for this season, but I will try that next Spring for sure! Thanks so much for visiting my blog - I will be back to see yours again for sure!
    Michelle / newengland-style.com

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    1. Thanks Michelle! I remember them as a nuisance when I was younger, but tamed, they are really lovely! Your blog is gorgeous! I love your style and look forward to returning as well!

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  17. My neighbors have a morning glory that comes into my yard. Since my fence is very long and I don't have anything planted in that section, I welcome the plant. We have shade everywhere so landscaping isn't easy. This Summer I opted to not plant anything new because I knew it wouldn't last during our vacation. We get little or no rain so it has to be drought resistant in most of the yard. We usually plant in the fall because during the winter it gets no rain (once every 10 years a sprinkle of snow) and the plants love it, even the roses. During Summer it's very very hot so I don't plant new stuff in the Spring. I'm looking forward to planting more this fall. :)

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    1. Wow, Katharine, sounds like you have a very tough climate to garden in, but morning glories seem to thrive, so I say embrace them! I bet you could just grab some off of that fence and re-root it wherever you like! Good luck! PS- I'll take a sprinkle of snow every 10 years!

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  18. Hi Kim!

    I love your post! We have morning glories growing on our back fence. Although they're beautiful and EASY to grow . . . they can take over if not trimmed alot!! I have to trim them every week, if not . . . my yard is consumed by them, lol!
    Love your story and photos!
    Thanks for sharing,
    Suzanne

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    1. Thanks so much, Suzanne! I totally agree, they can get unruly very fast! Ours seem to be pretty well behaved right now, but we are always ready for an uprising!;)

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  19. So this may seem like a weird question but do morning glories only bloom in the morning? You say yours start blooming in August, so how long do they bloom? Do they bloom into the fall?

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    1. Hi Jennifer,
      I have to preface my answers by telling you that I am certainly no expert! However, yes, my morning glories are bright, big and open in the morning and by the afternoon, they are closed up tight again. They start blooming in August and the do continue to bloom well into September. Actually, what usually happens, is that the weather starts to turn, the winds and rain come and the entire vine gets blown off the trellis at some point. They could bloom into October for all I really know, ours just never really last that long! Hope that helps! :)

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