My Cardinal climber Ipomea x multifida never reseeded for me. The one called cypress vine though does reseed. Someone told me the Cardinal Climber does form viable seeds but they are tender and in my zone 6b they don't live over the winter and that's why they don't grow the next year.
Joann

I have winter-sown Cardinal climber (Ipomoea x sloteri) for the past 3 years and grown in on a teepee trellis in my Hummingbird garden. This is probably the same hybrid you're talking about, I understand there is some confusion on botanical name. Anyway, mine has never reseeded - but I have collected seeds, which are very easy to collect, and they have germinated very well. It is in no way invasive like some of the other morning glories.

The hummers love this vine, but mine doesn't start blooming until August sometime. Which is later than I'd like, but it's okay, because they start blooming around the time the Cardinal flower (Lobelia cardinalis) ends blooming.

Thanks for the feedback. I might try these this year.

Karen

Karen, this is a fast-growing and very pretty annual vine. I prefer it to the Cypress Vine because the foliage is not as lacey. When I was releasing Monarch butterflies this summer, I would sometimes move them out of the aquarium tank over to a sunny perch in the yard, where they can continue to dry their wings and warm up in the sun until they're ready to fly off. The trellis with the Cardinal climber was one of my favorite places.

{{gwi:446119}}

Pretty picture, terrene. I thought the same about foliage- prettier than cypress vine- though flowers look similar.

Karen

Quick question!! If a botanical name has an x in it like pomoea x multifida, would that indicate it is hybrid?? I have noticed that a lot of hybrids have that x in the botanical, not all but a lot do. I have never noticed an "original non hybrid" having that x.

My thought if it is hybrid then if it does reseed then it will not be true. So it shouldn't be invassive.

I must agree about the foliage - much nicer than the 'other' which I tried a couple of years back. I wasn't impressed with it but this one is nice!! I'll have to look for seeds since we are getting a nice brood of Hummingbirds coming back to the peninsula for the summers now. :O)

Nice photo Terrene!

Countrycarolyn, yes from what I understand the "x" means that the plant is a hybrid of 2 species. Some hybrids are sterile. However my Helianthus 'Lemon Queen' which is a hybrid of 2 Helianthus species has sown a few seedlings over the years, and they look a lot like mother plant. Not sure on the botanical details of why this has happened.

Not sure that being a hybrid means the plant will not ever become invasive. For example, there are supposedly "sterile" cultivars of Purple loosestrife (Lythrum salicaria) that won't reseed in the garden, but when cross-pollinated by other plants growing in the wild they do produce seed. Hybrids, cultivars, etc. of this species apparently are all guilty.

Here's a thread on the Northwest gardening forum that discusses the issue:

Here is a link that might be useful: I guess the lythrum will have to go

That put an end to that thought!! Wow, from that I take it as even if a cultivar of a normally invassive genus crosses with others in the genus hybrid or not it can become invassive, even if the cultivar that is a hybrid is not invassive. (I probably worded that so confusing and wrong)

Well Karen if all else fails you can still do as Trudi suggested, lol. Plastic flowers anyone?? Sorry I just couldn't resist!!

Thank you, Terrene!!!