Magical Moonflower

Many of us are at work during the day and aren't able to enjoy our gardens until the evening hours. We love to entertain and spend a LOT of time outside on our deck and patio. When I began thinking about the space Greg and I decided to incorporate lots of light colored flowers so we can enjoy them at night. Whites, light blues, pinks and even some yellows show up beautifully in the moonlight.

Speaking of moonlight, I thought I'd share the most recent treasure that's blooming in our garden, the Moonflower, also called Ipomoea alba in Latin (for you true plant geeks!)


This is one of the blooms closed up tight waiting for dusk.


Here's the same bloom about an hour later, swelling and ready to open.


Miss Moonflower unfurling her petals in preparation for tonight's show.



And here is a beautiful closeup.



Moonflower vine can grow 12-18' tall, make sure you allow room for it to romp, we grow ours on a trellis with Cardinal Flower Vine (post for tomorrow) so it can be intertwined around and around for a fuller look.

The blooms range from 4-8" across and open after dusk. They close up their petals when the morning sun hits and the process starts all over. The blooms are lightly fragrant so they're perfect for an area you're sitting in or walking by.

Have you grown this vine? Would you add it to your garden?

*Amy