Many years ago, my mom discovered the Moon Vine (also called Moon Flower). With few expectations, she planted a few seeds next to the garden trellis, and eventually we fell in love with this beautiful flowering vine.
This year, I did the same thing on my chain link fencing.
I planted one seed and got all this gloriousness.
The plant starts to bloom in late August and early September. But it has a trick. Instead of blooming during the day, the flowers burst forth at dusk.
The vine is quite aggressive, and my three week hiatus allowed it to climb up the house. (Ryan didn't even notice the vine until I asked him if it was blooming yet while I was hunkering down in Metairie, LA, for Isaac. Observant is NOT his middle name.)
The plant is related to the Morning Glory, and its seed is quite tough. If you want to plant them next year, you can score the seeds and soak them in water for awhile before putting them into the ground. They take a looooooong time to grow very much. Weeks and weeks passed before the vine really got going, and then it went crazy. I probably planted it too early in the season, but no matter. Everything worked out.
I plan on putting the vine in more places around the garden in 2013. Yup, already thinking that through! More tips to come on prepping your garden for spring. If you think about it now, you'll have less to worry about later.
It looks a bit like a vine that I have growing in my kitchen window and along the curtain rod!
ReplyDeleteThe blooms look huge! Are they really or is that just a trick?
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