I go out in the a.m. and point a vine in the direction of a stake, and return at the end of the day and it has wrapped itself around.

Whoever did the time lapse sunflowers should try the same on MG's.

I think I have buds on the MG's. Not sure. These are fun plants to grow!!

(no real point to this post, just stating my amazement at how fast these things grow... of course, it was the one sunny day in a month of rain, so maybe they had to take advantage)

I saw beautiful tuberous begonias today ... I must bring my camera out to take pictures of other people's NYC gardens.

I sowed some MG seeds last weekend and checking out there yesterday afternoon, I noticed that some of them had popped up. Can't wait to start training them!

You'll see, next year you'll be looking for other vine seeds because you started with just the right ones. When they start blooming, you'll be hooked for life. Presently I'm living in a kind of string cage because I want every vine there is to have a place to climb. They're very satisfying. I think I planted seeds from at least 8 different kinds, mixed them up on purpose and will just be surprised at what color opens where.

I too am a vine addict.

They are just simply amazing to grow, especially the faster growing ones. My mg's have been out for I think a few weeks now, and the ones I bought pre started are easily 4 feet now and climbing and twining fast! Even some of the seeds I started indoors are now really starting to take off too. One of them is also well over 3 feet. I dont even really know exactly how m any MG's I have this year, but I know its alot more than last year. I had a resonable success rate w/ germination this year, but the majority of my MG's now, are actually volunteers that were left over from last years vines that sprouted up all over. I actually have ALOT of volunteer plants this year, Catnip (about a thousand,but I got rid of handfulls of most of them), about 6 4 o'clocks,some catmint, and the MG's I really am not sure what I will do with all the extras, but ill find something im sure. I still have some space left for more MG's. ALl told I have about 20 MG plants growing now, from 4' long to just producing thier first real leaves, and everywhere in between.

The MF's are also doing great, but again they were ALL purchased started plants because of the almost total failure in germination this year. Though, I am now happy to report that 2 seeds DID finally germinate, struggled and had some problems once they did, but now they are both growing, one has seed leaves out, the other is on its second set of real leaves now. So ill have 2 extra MFs this year too! Wahoo! that makes 8 MF vines I think.

My obsessions with vines as you all know has also spread. I did dig up a few bindweed (wild morning glory) seedlings, and they have struggled but appear to be back on track now. I also am trying some porcelainberry this year, and I am AGAIN trying Va Creeper, and haveing LOTS of success with those. I have about 15 or so smaller Va Creepers now, from digging them up in various places, and some are starting to vine nicely. I somehow got lucky this year, and came across an entire grove of Va Creeper SEEDLINGS, replete with seed leaves and everything. I had never seen an actual seedling before this year.

I also stumbled across something I thought was a rare kind of VA Creeper, with 3 leaflets instead of the usual 5 on the ENTIRE vine, but I know think that it is in fact a Boston ivy. Im not certain though.

Good chance that 3-lobed vine probably is Boston ivy. That would be a good permanent addition because of the great fall foliage. It is deciduous though.

My MFs are growing a little slower but just starting to see some "vine action"

Janice - it might be okay like that. I grew my "Heavenly Blue" MG from a pot down low and there were shrubs and whatnot across the way against the rail that blocked most of the sun on it until the sun rose up a bit higher. They will eventually lose lower leaves anyway as the age.

Nancy

I noticed what Jennie mentioned too; eventually the bottom bit loses leaves anyway as all the action takes place way farther up the vine, so I think your strategy would work well.

And, Allie, thanks for starting this thread. A celebration of MGs is definitely in order. They were the only flower I planted last year; my brother sent me some seeds from his garden, so I threw them in with some lettuce. I put a seed in front of each post on my railing, and laughed at myself for fantasizing that a handome vine would twine up each one and be full of blooms. But ohmygoodness it came true! They all popped up right where i'd put them (somehow I thought they might move or something, don't ask LOL), and charged right up that railing.

They were so easy and so charming --- between them and this forum, I started to think of my balcony as more than a pantry for herbs!

I'll try to link to the photo from last year below. Hm. I can't figure out how to link to just that photo; this link should go to a page of fairly crummy photos of last year's balcony (this was before the new digital camera); the morning glory one is the last one on the page.

Zabby

Zabby, Yahoo tells me your site can't be accessed for another hour, you've used up your viewing capacity for now or some such thing! I wanted to see your MGs!

This year I put string across the entire front of the terrace in a diamond pattern and just took one of each color, stuck it in the dirt and can't wait to see them in all colors all over the place! Also added some hyacinth bean vine, which is just as easy and almost more beautiful and some love in a puff, so we can see what my fantasy is this year.

Zabby

P.S. Reclavus, the photo page seems ok now. (It's part of a family Web site my brother maintains. Maybe he cut some cheap deal on the Web time. Grrr.)

PV

The clean-up is a pain. I usually leave mine until I'm ready to re-plant the next spring because I love to watch the finches come and tear off twigs for their nests.

I hope I get a good pic (if I get good growth), but it's hard from inside, snapping against the light. I have some up already, but no vining yet due to lack of sun until now.

Judith

PV

Can't say that it looks like PVick was short on blooms! How lovely!

This year I have some in a big planter with an obelisk and some MF vines. They're only just starting. But all this chat makes me tempted to redo the balcony railings, too. The great thing is, it's not too late with MGs! (I planted a few in mid-July last year, next to the railings in the shade, and they still got about four feet high by the end of the season...)

Three cheers for morning glories!

Zabby

Long live the morning glory!

PV

I'll need to pick a pot for mine in a week or so. I'm impressed by the performance of these guys in small pots. Is bigger necessarily better? Anyone done a comparison?

I fertilized mine with weak miracle grow when they got two sets of real leaves. Nothing since. I have buds I think...

I discovered MGs growing right in front of my apt. building next to a big hosta. Either someone planted seeds or they are self seeded from last year.

Now THAT is a smart idea for what you gotta do with these guys. I have to confess that one thing making me hesitate about planting them that way this year is that, after their wonderful just-like-in-a-gardening magazine one-on-each-rail-post perfect climb, once they got to the top of the rail mine had nowhere to go and got rather messy hanging out in mid-air grabbing each other. I know, I know, it's anal, and it's funny, because I'm not an anal type at ALL most of the time. But I had this picture of how the MGs should look, wrapped around railings; I hardly believed it would really work out that way; and when it did, I wanted it to stay looking that way forever!

I tried persuading them to go sideways along the top rail but they were REALLY stubborn. I'd wind one two full twists around it, and come back an hour later to find it waving in the air again. (I've seen posts here from a few who HAVE gotten them to grow sideways, so it MUSt be possible, however!)

So maybe I'll try this again, and tie bamboo stakes to the railing posts; the skinny ones are pretty cheap. Of course, there will go my view of the street. Hmm...

Zabby,
who potted up marigolds today and planted chamomile seeds; I LOVE these easy, old-fashioned plants!

In my vast  experience with growing them (first time last year), it seems like they will grow and bloom almost anywhere, and in all kinds of environments - except maybe complete darkness and freezing weather. The ones I had in the big pot didn't necessarily grow any better or worse than the ones in the small pot; the plants in both pots wilted in the heat of the day, and perked right up with some water in the evening. The ones in the small pot needed water morning and evening (totally root-bound), so I ended up giving it a "collar" of water - a pin-pricked plastic bag of water in the pot, which leaked nicely all day (grew 3 MFs in another 6" pot, with the same treatment). The only reason I really put the MGs in the small pot was because I had some extra plants that I couldn't/wouldn't give away, and I just had no room for them in anything else.

This year, I've got 5 plants in a 12" pot (they're now about 5 feet long and blooming to beat the band!), 4 plants in a small trough - started a bit later and not vining yet; and 3 MFs in an 8" pot, which are just putting out their second set of true leaves. I put water crystals in all of them and time-release fertilizer as well. And I gave them all a shot of SuperThrive when they were transplanted. So far, so good. There are also about a dozen MF volunteers coming up in last year's big pot - 4 of which I recognize as varieties I want to keep - so I'll probably stick them in one of the two containers of MFs.

My two cents worth......

PV

Ditto the bamboo poles -- I bought some of the medium ones this year that are about nine feet tall and am planning to strap them to the railing posts with clothesline and then weave a sparse trellis -- in my vast experience too (LOL - two, count them, two seasons) they climb like nothing else and I want to be prepared this year.

There are about 20 MG seedlings (10 of them are real plants already!) scattered around the deck and maybe 10 MF ones (of course, I planted three times that many seeds) not counting the whole packet of "royal ensign" dwarf MGs that are coming up healthy and strong (looks like 100% germination there -- easily thirty seedlings!).

I know I'll be watering a lot and have been disappointed this year that I've hardly had a chance to use my new garden hose and watering wand -- I was lugging a three-gallon can up a flight of steps to moisten the kids...in August it sometimes took nine trips! The Gardening Fitness Plan! Hmmm... I think I should have put that into the "obsessive gardener" thread...

Nancy, thanks for the Sunset vine book recommendation -- I'll have to see if there is a Burpee American Gardening Series on vines too...the one for flowering shrubs is, IMHO, really nice.

More is More!

I got a couple of those from Lee Valley just the other day! If you use yours first, tell us how they work out!

Zabby

HEY! This means I need another plant/pot.... !

Between my gardening obssession and BF's woodworking, Lee Valley for us is the source of a worse malady than SARS: tool-jump-into-cartitis!

Zabby in Toronto where it's SUNNY today!!!

I just unwound my jasmine today which was literally in knots around two bamboo poles. Since it HAS to come in, my idea was to let it grow a bit when it reached the top and then loop it back down and start twining it again. This works with my jasmine, which will keep growing as long as the tip of the vine is allowed to go up - some others will just stop dead if you push them down at all.

I hope to get a pic when it grows a bit since it still looks bare toward the top. There really is a long way to go around those spirals.

Ashlie - I had 2 sets of MGs last year. The first set was started inside and was blooming on a 6" long vine (the big leaves below are MF and you can sortof see the MG leaves at the very bottom center of the pic - the pot was a 6" with MFs in it too):

Not a problem with that. BUT... I think if you want more vine, you may need to... ahem... commit a sacrilege and fertilize it. ;-)

PV

Mike

Those of you who remember my lattice work, and trellis from last year... It took exactly 3 weeks from the time I planted out my purchased MG's (which were about 2 weeks old) for them to reach the tops of each. The lattice and trellis are now, once again, NOT enough. The tops have been surpassed!!!!!

Try your local hardware store - they might have seeds. Saw some at Home Depot the other day, in the seed clearance bin. If you've got an HD/Walmart/Lowes type place near you, try that also.

PV

Mike

After this year, you'll never have to worry about MG seeds again!

PV

Now, I have a bunch left over from those packs as I used about 4-5 of each species. Can I keep the seeds for next year too?

Mike

When you say "the flat face of the railing", what exactly do you mean? Are there spokes in your railing? Or flat, smooth panels?? If there are spokes, and they're not overly thick, the MGs will wind around them; if it's smooth panels, you can do the twine thing to the top for them to climb.

Hope this helps....

PV

Mike

Yep go ahead and plant them now. I'd space them every couple inches (maybe 2-3") and if they all sprout you can thin them out to how you want them to look. I don't think MG's are that picky about spacing.

On the other hand, my first MG/MF experience - I have one that I guided to the support yesterday, in another pot, and today it decided it likes its new upright trellis! Whoopee, now if mine will just bloom like the rest of the listees!
jeribelle

Susan

1. When 6 or 7 adult leaves have opened, prune above the 5th leaf. New shoots will start growing.

2. When the new vines have 4 or 5 leaves, prune above the 2nd leaf.

3. After each vine has about 6 leaves, snip off the ends to stop growth. Each branch should produce 4 flowers.

This method is used when growing in small trellised pots, but some variation of the method should work no matter whre you have them growing.

Hope this helps....

PV

I've got a 5x30 balcony on the 10th floor that I'm going to screen with MG/MF for some beauty and privacy. I've already cleaned and scrubbed the balcony, cleaned and sterilized all of my pots, got my waterfall and pond babbling away in the corner... Now I just need some spring-like weather to stick around so I can start planting! LOL

Anyway, I wanted to introduce myself and to thank all of you here for rekindling the gardening bug!

If you hang around here long enough, your gardening bug WILL be roaring and your wallet will be emptied! LOL

I'm debating different ways to handle these hyperactive climbers... I want them to cover much of the railing on the balcony, but I know they won't be happy with that long... It would be nice if they could be trained to go up and down... but I think I've read here that doesn't go so well... so it's probably going to be twine from ceiling hooks.

I'm definitely trying this fishing line trellis this year. I have 7 curly stakes, about 10 packets of seed, wide pots with a center hole for the stakes and some green twine that's thicker and stronger than fishing line.

I have a lawn so I'm going to be staking them in the ground through the middle of the pot though, so I'm kinda cheating.

Ah, I just love spring, don't you?

I've decided to go for both a functional and visual design for the supports. I'm having 8 eyebolts mounted into the ceiling and will be tying twine in angled runs from the eyebolt to the railing in overlapping pyramid shapes across the length of the balcony. This should give lots of runs for the vines, and hopefully be visually interesting. Hope I described that in a way that can be pictured!

All 6 of my MFs sprouted a couple days ago and I moved them off the heat and put a pot with 4 hyacinth bean vine seeds in it on the heat to see if I get any luck this year with those (last year, none sprouted but then I had them planted too deep as I found out).

Your "visual" design sounds great. Hope you can post some pictures when they get going. We usually like posting "progress" pictures here because sometimes, it just doesn't seem like anything is growing but it really is and that spurs everyone on!

I have learned that I should not plant them in clay pots next time... wet leaves get stuck to the clay and die... I think they get their moisture pulled out into the pot or something...

At any rate, some of my vines are one and half to two feet tall, and some of them are still trying to grab the lines... but it's looking good! :0)

I don't even HAVE morning glories yet. I have 5/6 in the baby stage, that I can't even put in the sun yet. Those came from the wet paper towel method that hubby said would never work ... all the ones I did the way he wanted (peat pots with an umbrella over them) never sprouted . And they keep telling me at the Green Market that it's too early yet ... another two weeks.
I am not putting up any more fishing line until I see if I have something to grow on it. Tho I do have some MFs that have 'hugged' that fishing line (anothing thing hubby said wouldn't work) and are almost as tall as I am :) Good thing I have experts here to listen to instead of him :p

Hope you will post some pics of the 'finished' product, Ruggy.

I'll post more pictures as things progress and get filled out!

my morning glories are only mere inches from the ceiling now, and I've had several lovely blooms... unfortunately, they peak while I'm at work, so I don't really get to see much of them... but I'm hopefull for the weekend! :0)
They continue to grow, and branch out... seems like every day I'm training two or three additional vines up the string... some of them have 3 or 4 each! I'm definately going to have add more fishing line next season!

At any rate, I've got some new pics... some of them of the little fountain that I have now added fish and plants too :0) But mostly morning glories! The top link in the following page (2004 - 07-01 - Balcony) are the latest pictures...

I've also noted a mulitude of small bugs... reddish... all over the morning glories... but they've attracted some lady bugs who have been hanging out and munching these beasties for days... I hope they've got some friends to share with!

Judging by the number of buds I see around... I think I may have a serious riot of blooms in the next week...

If you go to http://www.matthewdillon.com/garden, and chose the July 1st link... about half way through the gallery is the water feature.

The water feature has a new feature... there's been a pidgeon hanging out under it, scaring the mess outta me for a couple weeks... well, today I found out why... she's got a nest under there! I don't have the heart to clean it out, so hopefully that will turn out ok.

Ruggy - you missed my saga of 2 summers ago when I kept the forum updated (in 2, 100-post threads) on the pidgies and their babies. Suffice it to say - the 3 month saga went like this:

Two eggs

Produced two hatchlings

Thanks to the efforts of mom

And dad

Leading to two kids

Who grew to be two pre-adolescents

Finally making it to become two teens:

Who had to practice for their flying licenses:

Before they were ready to leave my (UNINTENTIONAL) Pidgeon Hotel:

LOL

(Just in case you were curious with respect to what you might be in store for... ;-) AND for those who have never "seen" baby pidgeons... ;-))

Ruggy - if she's been scaring you for two weeks, you won't have to have the heart to clean it out. There are probably little birdies under there and the parent birds won't be going anywhere now. Mama sits at night, and Papa takes his turn during the day. They will flare up at you if you mess with them.

Be prepared, as Jenny says, to spend the summer with your pigeon family.

I had babies on my terrace in 2002 as well; no more. So far this year, I'm at 6 eggs and counting - gotten rid of, of course.

PV

I had a pair up here earlier this year that were just getting started (didn't have eggs yet) and I ended THAT quick, fast, and in a hurry!

I've set up a webcam... being big Garden Geek that I am...

AND... the morning glories have gone madness too! I'm up to around 100 blooms a day!!! I've updated the Garden Gallery this morning with new pics of that riot... look at the 2004 - 07-10_17 - Morning Glory link at http://www.matthewdillon.com/garden

It's a joyful summer! :0)

http://www.matthewdillon.com/webcam/1st_chick_071904_1.jpg
http://www.matthewdillon.com/webcam/1st_chick_071904_2.jpg

The one BIG drawback is all the poop that those babies will leave (as you can see from my pictures)... Sigh. But it's interesting to watch mom go out and get food and when she returns, she regurgitates it to feed them, meanwhile pop stands guard. You should have a pop somewhere nearby. They do operate as a pair when raising the kids, where pop will occassionally "watch" them while she goes and gets some food. She stays with them in the nest at night and who knows where HE goes at night (not the nest). LOL

I know that one time, my pop got startled when I had eased over to check on them and he ran right over top of the babies and flew off while they were still sleeping (that's when I caught that "famous" or "infamous" photo of the little one on its back next to its sibling, fast asleep. LOL)

I'm a new member to join this forum. It's great to find so many MG enthusiasts out here. Some time back while I was going to a friend's place, I saw this tiny house which was sort of 'lit up' with an unusual shade of blue flowers. It was love at first sight! Just to have a look at those flowers I would often drop into my friend's place. Finally, one day not being able to resist myself I stopped the car right beside that house (with blue flowers) and walked up to the door to ring the bell! I could see the surprise (annoyance?) on the face of the girl who opened the door. I apologized thoroughly but explained that I simply HAD to know the name of the flower (MG plants are not at all common in Kolkata, India)! Her face broke into a smile and she told me those beauties were known as Morning Glories, but she couldn't help me any further with information such as method of propagation etc.

Well…never mind I thought, since I had a clue I'll find more about the love of my life. I looked up on the net and bingo there it was - tons of information!

I hunted quite a bit till I stumbled upon this small, dark shop where I found MG, Heavenly Blue seeds. It's exactly seven days now I had sowed them and four of them have popped up! I'm waiting very eagerly to see them grow and bloom with blue flowers (I fell in love with) on the strip of garden infront of my house!

So, please wish me a lots of luck!

P.S. I went back to my friend's place a couple of weeks back and on the way saw the MG plants were no longer there in that house and it looked ugly and naked. Hope the owners realize their mistake and let the MG grow back. Even if it attracts a few bugs like me!

Thank you so much.

I guess with a blast around 40ºC max daily (in Kolkata currently) the MG plants are having a great time growing up! So, I can see they are shooting up with much vigor. Also going by a posting on this discussion board I'm keeping them covered with a transparent plastic sheet and putting them out for ten minutes (with the sheet on of course) in the morning sun to raise the temperature.

However, today I've noticed something, which has got me puzzled. I had sowed about fifteen seeds. Among which nine has popped (yesterday there were just four). Four of them have normal green, half apple shaped tiny leaves while the rest are with same shape leaves but are purple in color. Is this normal or something funny is happening to my plants? Am I doing anything the wrong way?

Please advice and thanks in advance. Best of luck with your MG seedlings, hope they bloom soon.

It sounds like the seeds you planted weren't all of the same type of MG. It will be interesting to see what color they are when they bloom! I know that sometimes leaves can turn purplish when it is too cold (but that is obviously not your problem) and can be that color if the soil needs more phosphorous (a good natural source is bonemeal). However I think the ones you have might naturally have that color leaf and might be some seedling cross.

Let us know how they go!

I grew "Heavenly Blue" 3 years ago and they looked like this:

Thanks, it's great to be on this forum. Your MG plant is beautiful and the bloom is simply GORGEOUS! I think my passion for MG will never cool off! Finding so many people who shares the same liking is really great.

Thank you very much indeed for your advice/suggestion. I think I will just sprinkle a little bit of bone dust on the top layer of the soil (a mixture of fine soil and dry leaf dust at a 50 - 50 ratio) just in case it's a phosphorous deficiency. I'm little puzzled because I had specifically asked for the Heavenly Blue variety (in fact the mixed ones were more expensive) due to my favoritism towards the color. Even the packet had a blue flower printed on it.

Can someone who has grown the mixed/Japanese variety comment on this please?

Anyway, I think I would just have to wait and watch. This morning 13 seeds in total have germinated and 2 of them are about 3" tall. How long should I wait to transfer them? Should I transfer them to a small Styrofoam cup and after a while finally plant them on the garden bed or should they go to the garden bed straight?

I have let the garden soil to become slightly rocky and dry (ideal for MG growth?). At the moment the weather is very heated up and no rainfall, though according to the met predictions monsoon will take over in another 15 days time.

Along side MG, I had also germinated Victoria Blue, Petunia (mixed) and Blanket Flower. Now all those seedlings are growing too.

You could have actually started them directly outside. Those of us in colder climates end up starting them inside to get a head start on the growing season.

Anyway, since the vines are so fragile, many recommend that you transplant directly to its permanent spot (and be careful so you don't break the stem). You can probably do that once it gets its first or 2nd set of leaves.

Thanks so much. I think I will do as you said and transfer them to pots till the heaviest rain is over and then plant them outdoors.

Actually my experience with MG is nil and people I know who are into gardening couldn't be of much help either, now that I'm learning I guess I will make fewer mistakes in future.

Yesterday I had a look at your page and saw your garden in the balcony. I must congratulate you and must say that it's simply BRILLIANT!!! Wonderful job Jenny!