Dwarf morning glory

Dwarf morning glory: how do you recognise it?

Habit

Bushy, slightly spreading mound 25–30 cm high and 30 cm wide, with branched stems that sometimes sprawl.

Leaves

Oblong to lance-shaped, 3–7 cm, dull green and slightly hairy, alternate along the stems.

Flower

Funnel-shaped, 3–4 cm across and open for a single day: it opens in the morning and closes in the evening. In dull weather it may stay shut.

Colour

Deep blue rim, white band and yellow throat. Pink, purple and white forms also exist.

Fruit

A small round capsule holding a few hard, angular seeds.

Flowering: June–September · Sowing: March–May · Plants: May

Why grow it?

• An exceptional colour: deep blue flowers with a white ring and a yellow throat.
• Flowers for four months, from June to September.
• Bees and other pollinators visit the open flowers.
• Does not climb or spread: a compact plant for the front of a border, a rock garden or a container.
• Easy to sow where it is to flower, and happy in poor, dry soil.
• Fun for children: you can watch the flowers open every morning.

Dwarf morning glory: where does it grow best?

• Full sun: in shade the flowers stay closed and the plant becomes floppy.
• Light, free-draining soil: sand or loam, acid to chalky. Poor soil gives more flowers than rich soil.
• Dry to moderately moist; it dislikes heavy, waterlogged ground.
• A warm spot sheltered from cold winds, such as the edge of a patio or the foot of a south-facing wall.
• Plant or thin to 25–30 cm apart.

Light

Sun

Soil type

Sand or loam

Acidity

Not fussy

Moisture

Dry or normal

Size

0.3 m tall, 0.3 m wide

Hardiness

Tolerates light frost (to -2 °C)

Goes well with

• California poppy: Orange and yellow beside the deep blue, on the same poor, sunny soil.
• Pot marigold: Warm orange as a contrast, and just as easy to sow in situ.
• Sweet alyssum: A low, white, scented edging at the front.
• Lavender: Grey leaves and purple spikes in a warm, dry spot.
• Thyme: A low, fragrant ground cover in a rock garden.

Dwarf morning glory: when and how to plant it?

Plant in May.

1. Soak the seed overnight in lukewarm water: the hard seed coat softens and the seed germinates faster.
2. Sow where it is to flower in April–May, 1 cm deep, in groups of two or three seeds every 25–30 cm.
3. For earlier flowers, sow indoors in March–April in small pots at 15–20 °C. Sow straight into individual pots, as it dislikes being transplanted.
4. Plant out the indoor-raised plants in May, after mid-May when frosts are over, without breaking up the root ball.
5. Water after sowing and planting, then thin out, keeping the strongest seedling in each group.
6. Do not enrich the soil: in rich ground it makes lots of leaves and few flowers.

Care

Watering

Little needed once established. Water only in prolonged drought, and in containers when the top few centimetres are dry.

Feeding

Not needed in the open ground. In pots or window boxes, a liquid feed for flowering plants every three to four weeks.

Pinching out

Pinch out the tips of young plants at 10 cm: they branch better and become bushier.

Spent flowers

The flowers drop by themselves. Snip off the seed capsules now and then in summer to prolong flowering.

Weeding

Keep the soil around young seedlings free of weeds; later the plant covers the ground itself.

Tip: Soak the seed overnight in lukewarm water and sow it straight where it is to flower: that way you avoid transplanting, which the plant dislikes.

Dwarf morning glory: when to prune it?

When: An annual that is not really pruned. Pinching out in June and removing seed capsules in July–August is enough.

How:

• Pinch out the tips of young plants at 10 cm for a fuller plant.
• From July, regularly snip off the green seed capsules to prolong flowering; let a few ripen at the end of summer for seed.
• Pull up the plant after the first frost and put it on the compost heap.

Pruning calendar and basic rules

Propagation

Seed

Collect the brown, dry seed capsules in September. Store the seed somewhere cool and dry, and soak it overnight before sowing. It germinates in one to two weeks.

Self-sowing

In a warm, poor spot it sometimes self-seeds. Leave the seedlings where they are or move them while very young, with a small root ball.

Dwarf morning glory: how does it get through the winter?

Hardy to −2 °C: protect in harsh winters.

• Not hardy: it tolerates −2 °C at most and dies in Belgian gardens with the first frost.
• Grow it as an annual and sow again every spring; overwintering is not worth the effort.
• Seed that falls on the ground sometimes survives a mild winter and then germinates in spring.
• Keep collected seed in a paper bag in a cool, dry place until April.

Diseases and pests

• Slugs: They devour young seedlings in April–May. Check in the evening, pick them off or protect the seedlings with a collar.
• Aphids: Green or black aphids on the shoot tips. Hose them off with water; ladybirds and hoverflies usually deal with them.
• Few flowers: Too much shade, too rich a soil or too much fertiliser. Choose a sunny, poor spot and do not feed.
• Root rot: The plant wilts and yellows in heavy, wet soil. Sow in a well-drained spot or work sand into the soil.
• Closed flowers: The flowers close in dull weather and in the evening: that is normal, not a disease.

Through the year

• March: Sow indoors in small pots after soaking the seed overnight.
• April: Sow indoors or where it is to flower. Protect seedlings from slugs.
• May: Sow outdoors and plant out indoor-raised plants after mid-May. Thin to 25–30 cm.
• June: First flowers. Pinch out young plants.
• July: Full flower. Water in prolonged drought. Snip off seed capsules.
• August: Flowering. Water pots regularly and give a little feed.
• September: Last flowers. Collect dry capsules for next year.
• October: Clear the plants after the first frost.

Good for wildlife

Bees

Nectar and pollen for honeybees and wild bees.

Did you know?

• Each flower lives for just one day: it opens in the morning and closes or fades in the evening. That is why the French call it ‘belle-de-jour’, beauty of the day, as opposed to the ‘belle-de-nuit’ or marvel of Peru, which opens in the evening.
• It belongs to the same genus as field bindweed, a stubborn weed, but it does not climb or spread itself.
• Its name tricolor means ‘three-coloured’ and refers to the blue, white and yellow of the flower.