Moon Flower at Morning

I took this photo last week, before our first freeze hit, so the foliage on this moon flower is a bit bedraggled now, though it is still blooming. Moon flower has always been a lust plant for me. There are plenty of plants that do not grow well in Minnesota, but for some reason, it has long irked me that moon flower resisted all my attempts to grow it.

My interest may have stemmed from its white blooms, which brighten any garden, or its climbing habit—it is said to grow 20 foot vines in some climates.  It could also be that moon flowers  seemed mysterious and a reminder of an older time. I also could not understand why a plant in the same family as morning glories, which overrun my garden like weeds, would not grow.

This year, I bought moon flower seeds from Baker’s Creek (Ipmoea alba) and started them  indoors. Then, carefully transplanted the seedlings outside later in the spring, planting a few seeds in the same area, just in case. The site is near the front door, so I could keep an eye on them when watering the pots out front. The extra care paid off and the vines have been flowering (usually just one bloom at a time) for the last few weeks.

True to their name, these plants open up overnight. They bloom a day or two, then fade — just like summer itself.