Sunday, January 16, 2011

One for the bugs, one for the weather, and one for YOU!

A good gardener always plants 3 seeds - 
one for the bugs, one for the weather and one for himself.
- Leo Aikman

I have seeds for the bugs, the weather, and for you!

The seed pods on the moonflower vine (ipomoea alba) are plentiful and I want to share.
I harvested the first seeds from the moonflower vine in November with my grandchildren.  
(See my post about that on my other blog here.)  
Those seeds are stored and waiting for Spring to arrive and the earth to warm - but there are yet more to harvest!  Would you like some? 
  The moonflower vine, which is in the Morning Glory family, is an annual where I live in zone 7.  I grew it for the first time last summer, expecting it to grow in a pot with a trellis on my deck.   I nicked the seeds with a sharp knife and soaked them overnight before planting them and they quickly germinated.  (Because Moonflower Vine waits for hot weather to perform, there's no benefit to starting them early indoors.)  Once started, the vine took off, quickly outgrowing its pot and modest trellis.  I moved it to the foot of the birdhouse post, where I could see the blooms in the evening from my deck.
This vine will cover an arbor, a large trellis, a fence or any other similar structure.  The blooms last only a single night but are profuse, beautiful, and fragrant.
Moonflower Vine is hardy in zones 9 - 11 and may even be invasive.  But if you live in a cooler zone as I do, it can be treated as an annual for summer beauty.  It likes well-drained soil and full sun.
If you would like to share in my bounty of seeds, leave me a comment saying so and I'll put your name in the straw hat for a drawing a week from today.  I'll announce the winners in another post.

Though I do not believe that a plant will spring up where no seed has
been, I have great faith in a seed. Convince me that you have a seed
there, and I am prepared to expect wonders.
- Henry David Thoreau

17 comments:

One said...

That first quote is so true. I usually grow more than I need and sometimes at several places in case some spots are unsuitable. Your grandchildren must have had a lot of fun. The morning look really beautiful where you grew it. I think I can find the seeds locally as it is a weed here, a beautiful one though.

Gary said...

Hi Ginny......Yes please!
Aren't kids great at that age, so interested in stuff?

A Year In My Garden said...

That's a fine looking plant - I bet the kids love it !

Anonymous said...

I love moonflower and plant it too. Great learning for the children and wonderful quote.

Alistair said...

The white morning glory, the first time I saw it was on a wall in a DIY store car park. It had clearly self seeded. I had never seen it before and was very impressed, thought it was something exotic. Told a fellow gardener who after checking told me it was a weed which is regarded as a serious pest in England. Most beautiful weed I have seen.

Amy said...

I just added another plant to my wishlist. I really like the heart shaped foliage and of course those pretty blooms. Cute grandchildren!!

Amy said...

Me again. Yes, please add me to your list.

Antique ART Garden said...

Very pretty, I have seen some around on my walks. Your grandchildren are so beautiful !

Southern Lady said...

Enter me in the drawing. I would love to have some seeds to plant. I know just where I would plant them. Carla

Donna said...

did I hear free seeds...I am there...please enter my name..oh and by the way...love the post!!!

Carol said...

Ginny, I love Moonflower and cannot imagine it being invasive . . . I do not have such good luck with it as you do. I have to grow it in a container and do not give it enough food. It is a beautiful flower and the fragrance is delicious! I love watching it unfurl at dusk. Great quotes!

Daricia said...

ginny, my father-in-law is crazy about his moonflowers. he grows them every year up the rail of his porch and every summer we hang out and look for them to open. they are amazing flowers, fun to watch.

Anonymous said...

hello Ginny, moonflower is such a lovely name....

Jessica M said...

Beautiful pictures!...I love the one of you and your grandchildren together...what a precious gift you are giving them early on in their childhood-an experience of appreciating the beauty and miracle of nature..together.

Thanks for sharing :)

~Blessings,
Jessica

Chloe m said...

I would have to say also to plant one or two for the voles and squirrels. Drats!

Casa Mariposa said...

I love moonflower! When you stick your nose in to sniff it, the suction brings the petals to your face like a flower hug. Wonderful!

Anonymous said...

Goodness, to me as a Brit, this looks just like bindweed (Convolvulus arvensis), an attractive but particularly nasty pernicious weed. I guess this is its nicer, prettier cousin, but even so can't imagine cultivating it... Yet it does look lovely!