I'm planning to plant some heavenly blue morning glories (or Ipomoea tricolor) on a trellis, and I want to make sure they stay contained and don't take over my garden. I'm a bit of a novice gardener at just 17, and while I'm getting some guidance from my nan and her friend, they aren't very experienced with morning glories either. I'm looking for tips on the best type of trellis to use, how to prune them effectively, and any other maintenance advice to keep them from interfering with my other plants. I'll be planting them fairly far from the walls and I'll be attentive to their needs. By the way, I believe the seed packet mentioned they're annuals—do I need to worry about them reseeding too? Thanks for your help!
3 Answers
Morning glories are definitely annuals, but they can re-seed themselves if you’re not careful. They grow really fast, sometimes up to 10-15 feet! You can manage their growth by trimming them regularly. Just be cautious where you plant them since they can spread quickly. If you're in the UK, the frost will likely kill them off in winter, which should help keep them under control.
In my experience, morning glories reseed quite well, so you might see them sprouting in unexpected spots next year. I had mine in a pot with a taller trellis, which worked perfectly. A 6-foot trellis is ideal since they can get pretty wild. You might also consider using netting if you're placing them against a fence to save some hassle with tangling.
That's a smart move! Just keep an eye on the seedlings each spring, and you can easily catch them before they spread. Mowing can help too if they are close to a lawn.
If planted next to a lawn, mowing will actually take care of any unwanted seedlings. Just remember, these plants can come back year after year, so unless you're regularly checking, you'll end up with morning glories all over your garden!
If you trim them back and keep them well away from your other plants, you should be fine. But you'll want to remove any seed pods if you don't want them popping up everywhere next spring!