Ipomoea (family Convolvulus) is a decorative herbaceous vine grown in our conditions as an annual. Plant shoots can reach 2-5 m, depending on the variety. Leaves of various colors and shapes are decorative, variegated varieties are found.
Ipomoea ampelous
Ipomoea flowers have a funnel shape, buds open at sunrise, bloom one day. Some varieties have a pleasant aroma. Flowering is usually very plentiful, gramophone flowers cover almost the entire plant. Some species are bred because of the high decorative foliage.
Variety Ruby lights with cirrus foliage and bright red flowers
Taking care of morning glory is extremely easy - it is unpretentious, easily tolerates a lack of light, watering and fertility of the soil.
There are more than 500 species of morning glory in the world; in Russia, about 25 species are grown.
As an element of landscape design, morning glory ampelous organically fits into various compositions when planting balconies, terraces and arbors.
Decorative types and varieties of morning glory
Seven types of lianas are most suitable for growing as an ampel plant:
- ivy;
- quamoclite;
- purple
- blue
- morning glory of the Nile;
- moonflower;
- morning glory Batat.
Ipomoea purpurea - grows up to 3 m, green lanceolate foliage. Flowers with a diameter of 8 cm in blue, pink, purple, white. Varieties: Starfish, Scarlett O̕ Hara, Giselle.
Kvamoklit - a plant up to 5 m tall, leaves are light green, carved. The flowers are medium-sized, bright red. The most famous species: Slamoter's quamoclite, mottled quamoclit.
Additional Information! Thanks to openwork foliage, decorative kvamoklit is often used in compositions with flowering ampelous plants.
Ipomoea Nile - grows up to 3 m, branches heavily, leaves are large, heart-shaped. Flowers with a diameter of up to 10 cm of red, purple, blue flowers. The most famous hybrid is Serenade with double red flowers with a diameter of 8 cm. The semi-double Picoti variety is interesting with a white border on a blue or red background.
Ipomoea blue - a liana up to 5 m long, gives many lateral processes. Large blue and purple flowers with a diameter of about 10 cm are collected in inflorescences of 3-4 pieces. Varieties: Sky, Wedding Bells, Flying Saucer, Blue Star, Pearl Gate.
Moonflower - a type of loach with heart-shaped three-finger leaves. White or pink flowers with a pleasant aroma open at sunset or in cloudy weather.
Important! All types of creepers are poisonous; small children and animals should not be allowed into the plant.
Ipomoea ampelous with purple leaves
The most interesting for planting in flower pots and containers is morning glory Batat, which relatively recently began to be grown as a decorative species. Liana gained popularity in flower arrangements due to its originality, variety of foliage colors and direction of plant growth, convenient for planting in hanging flower pots.
Ipomoea Batat has a tuberous edible rhizome with yellow or lilac flesh. Propagated exclusively vegetatively, the flowers are few in number. You can propagate the flower by dividing the tuber or by grafting.
The flower can be grown as a perennial. To do this, with the onset of cold weather, they bring him into the house. In spring, elongated shoots are subjected to cardinal pruning.
Many modern varieties are bred exclusively for the spectacular foliage used in landscape design to decorate the background. Sweet potato rises in height by only 30 cm, but actively grows in the horizontal direction up to 2 m.
The view is interesting in the variety of colors of the foliage from pink to lilac, purple, almost black. Varieties with purple leaves:
- Illusion Midnigt Lace - leafy variety, purple shoots with a green tint;
- Sweet Caroline Purple - five-lobed burgundy-purple leaves;
- Sweet Georgia - heart-shaped, lime-pink foliage, purple on the inside;
- Black Tone - small leaflets, heart-shaped, dark purple, close to black.
Ipomoea ivy
It begins to bloom from early July until the onset of cold weather. Flowers are collected in inflorescences of 2-3 pieces, various shades of red. Funnel-shaped flowers open only for one day, but due to the abundance of buds, the flower mass completely covers the leaves.
Ipomoea ivy-shaped Roman Candy has variegated green-white foliage and cherry blossoms with a white throat. The variety is excellent in compositions where it is used as an ampel plant.
The plant grows up to 2-3 m, has three-lobed leaves resembling ivy
Ipomoea ampel leafy and decorative
By inventing various combinations, you can create contrasting compositions using both different varieties of vines, and combining them with other ampelous plants.
The most interesting leafy and decorative varieties:
- Ligth Green - a plant with soft-lime five-lobed leaves, creates the illusion of a tender young shoot;
- Sweet Caroline Bronze - clearly cut openwork foliage of the color of burgundy with a bronze tint;
- Sweet Heart Red - maple leaves are greenish red.
The foliage of the quamoclite, reminiscent of cypress needles and ivy morning glory with variegated leaves, looks beautiful. They look spectacular in various combinations.
What does morning glory morning look like in a cache-pot
Liana is characterized by rapid growth, unpretentiousness in cultivation, and shade tolerance. All these qualities make the plant indispensable for decorating walls, simulating hedges, to hide possible defects.
Ipomoea ampelous looks great in pots, flowerpots, floor vases and containers. Mobile tanks have mobility, if necessary, they can easily be rearranged to a new place.
Important! A flower does not like transplants, so it is better to sow the seeds immediately in a pot.
Given that the liana grows strongly, the pot should be at least 2.5-3 liters per plant. When growing morning glory in containers, the seeds should be planted at a distance of 25-30 cm. The flower is unpretentious to the quality of the soil, but prefers light, loose, non-acidic soils.
Many flower species and varieties are valuable due to the original color of the foliage.
If desired, you can grow the plant through seedlings. Young seedlings should be transferred with a lump of land to a permanent place, being careful not to damage the root system.
Before sowing, the seeds are soaked for a day. Sowing should be depending on weather conditions, given that the plant does not tolerate freezing. The critical temperature for morning glory is 2-4 ºС.
So that the plant does not stretch when the fourth true leaf appears, the seedling must be pinched.
The plant easily tolerates a lack of moisture, but loves watering. It is necessary to ensure that there is no stagnation of water in the pot or pan.
Important! When planting in decorative containers it is necessary to take care of the presence of drainage holes.
Ipomoea always grows in a vertical direction. To form a plant in ampel form, you need to put special supports or frames to make shoots grow in the right direction. Frames are made of bamboo sticks in the form of a wigwam or use metal with a circle at a height of 20-30 cm above the plant. The flower wraps around the frame, the main shoot stops the growth, and the side shoots begin to grow in the horizontal direction, creating the correct shape of the ampel plant.
Ipomoea beautifully fits into the composition with abundantly blooming ampelous plants: petunia, fuchsia, surfinia, bacopa
For vertical gardening, plastic grates or nets are used. With the help of a fast-growing creeper, you can grow a beautiful background for the background in a month.
The flower is responsive to fertilizer application. For more magnificent flowering, top dressing should contain a minimum of nitrogen. If the plant is grown for decorative foliage, it should be fed with a complex mineral fertilizer. Caring for a plant is uncomplicated, any novice gardener can grow morning glory.
