The Beauty Of The Day: Everything You Need To Know About This Flower In 5 Questions
The morning glory lives up to its name! It is one of the prettiest flowers you can see in gardens during the beautiful season. With its brightly colored corollas, this bloom does not go unnoticed throughout the summer. Here is everything you need to know to enjoy its beauty in 5 questions.
1- What is a morning glory flower?
The belle de jour, whose botanical name is Convolvulus tricolor, is an annual plant from the same family as the morning glory.
Its resemblance to the bindweed has earned it the nickname of tricolored bindweed. But, unlike the latter, the Belle de jour is not a climbing plant.
This plant offers abundant flowering throughout the summer, from June to September. However, each funnel-shaped flower with a yellow and white heart lasts only one day.
The purple, pink, or white flowers open in the morning to close in the evening and die, immediately replaced by others. That is why this plant, native to southern Europe, is also nicknamed morning glory.
2- What is the difference between morning glories and night-blooming flowers?
Unlike the morning glory which blooms for just one day, the night-blooming cereus flowers in the evening and wilts at dawn.
The night-blooming cereus is a plant native to Central America whose scientific name is Cereus oxypetalus. It belongs to the same family as the bougainvillea!
In summary, night and morning glories do not belong to the same botanical family but share the common trait of having ephemeral flowers.
Fortunately, in both species, each wilted flower is quickly replaced by others on the same plant.
3- Where to plant morning glories?
Dayflowers can be grown in pots, planters, or hanging baskets as long as they are provided with a large container.
They can also be sown in borders, on slopes, in flower meadows, or in flower beds. This plant, which is not demanding regarding soil type, can even be used as ground cover on poor soil.
Since the dayflower is hardy down to -10°C, you can sow it in place from April until May or June. It accepts all types of soil, although it prefers rich, cool, and well-drained soils.
Two sowing methods are possible:
• Either in clusters of 3 or 4 seeds, spaced 30 cm apart.
• Or broadcast, provided you thin out the seedlings later, keeping only one plant every 30 cm or so.
Note: Remember to add compost to enrich the soil before sowing! This simple gesture will ensure abundant flowering. Then cover the seeds with fine soil and water.
4- How to care for morning glories?
Morning glories are very easy-to-grow flowers, perfect for beginner gardeners!
Simply provide them with a sunny exposure (or partial shade if you live in the South) and water regularly.
Don't forget the watering to keep the soil always fresh, especially if you are growing morning glories in a pot. But don't let water stagnate in the saucer because morning glories hate stagnant moisture!
You can pinch the tips of the stems to encourage branching and remove faded flowers as you go to prolong blooming.
These few maintenance tips should allow you to enjoy beautiful colorful flowers throughout the summer season. These pretty corollas will also delight bees because they are nectar-producing.
5- How to multiply morning glories?
Sowing is the easiest method to propagate morning glories.
You can collect seeds from the capsules that appear at the end of flowering to replant them the following spring.
But be careful! Morning glory seeds are toxic.
