Monday, March 10, 2008

Blue Dawn Flower

I went out on the patio this afternnon to see how much stuff I have to rip out in pots and above the wall to plant new things.The whole top of the wall is now overun with runners from my Blue Dawn Flower(Ipomoea Indica).Some years ago I bought two of these small plants and put them at opposite ends behind our Apt. building in hopes they would cover the ugly wrought iron fence that divides our property from the condos behind us.The plants not only covered the fence they grew up the Ficus trees crept into the next yard and it looked like they would grow right out to Beverly Glen.Then two years ago they painted the Condos and ripped the plants off the fence to paint it.I was really peeved but they have already grown back.The problem is they also go flat along the ground instead of just up and the runners root.So I had full coverage on the patio trees even after the parent had been ripped up.Here they grow all year but don't bloom much in winter.But when they bloom the rest of the year they are large and plentiful.They also change hues of blue as the day goes on and die each night.The hummingbirds love them but even though they have huge blooms they pierce the stem instead.So I'll rip it up along the top of the fence so I can plant flowers but leave it everywhere else.A close relative I have had some luck with that grows from seed is Moonflower.It grows from seeds and the two times out of five I've planted it has produced huge white flowers that start to open before dusk and bloom through the night to die off next morning.I have never had them en masse but that would be an incredible sight.A friend in Texas tells me they grow wild near his property in huge amounts.It must be an otherworldy sight at night.Moonflower blooms are the size of coffee saucers.

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