Morning Glory Flower Facts

Are you planning to grow morning glory flower in your flower garden? These beautiful flowers will surely mesmerize all gardening enthusiasts. Morning glory plant is a native of tropical America. These plants also grow in the subtropical and temperate regions of Asia.

The morning glory plants belong to the kingdom Plantae, division Magnoliophyta , genus Ipomoea and Convolvulaceae family. This family comprises at least 50 genera and more than 1000 species. One of the most popular variety of morning glory flower is the fragrant Ipomoea Indica or the blue dawn flower. These beautiful flowers produced by the morning glory plants are saucer-shaped and come in many hues.

Being vines, these could be used to decorate walls and fences. If you have these climbers in your garden, you could watch these beautiful flowers unfurl in the morning sun. They get their name because of their tendency to blossom only in the morning. You could see them in all their glory during the early hours. After a few hours, morning glory flower begin to show signs such as curling of petals. These flowers just last for a single morning and die in the afternoon.

Are you aware of the morning glory flower meaning? If you go through the list of flower names and meanings of flowers,  you will see that these beautiful flowers symbolize love and affection. These are associated with the month of September and the eleventh wedding anniversary. These ornamental or decorative plants can certainly make your patio or garden walls look beautiful.

Morning glory flowers are vines or climbers. These beautiful flowers are saucer-shaped and come in various vibrant colors such as white, yellow, red, blue and purple. The flowers blossom only in the morning and begin to fade after a few hours. The morning glory vines can reach a height of 10-20 feet in the season, they just need a little support and they climb up easily on the walls and fences. The fragrant variety of blue dawn flower can produce several blooms in a season. You might see profuse flowering in this South American perennial flower variety as they can produce about 300 flowers per day. These plants have lush green foliage and the leaves are 4-5 inches long. The flowers could grow up to 3 inches in diameter. Some of the varieties of this plant such as Ipomoea muricata are night blooming flowers.

How to Grow Morning Glory Plant

For growing morning glory, you need to get hold of morning glory seeds. Some of the varieties of morning glory have poisonous and hallucinogenic seeds. So, keep that in mind while you buy the seeds from any garden center. Spring season is the perfect time to sow the morning glory seeds.

For better germination it is advisable to soak the seeds in warm water for a few hours. This will soften the coating or the seed husk. You need to look for a place where the morning glory flower will get ample sunshine. These flowers will grow better with the sun shining on them throughout the day. Make sure that the soil is not very moist. Though these plants don't need a very fertile soil for their growth, you could add a general purpose fertilizer while planting them. After selecting the location for planting the seeds, sow the seeds about an inch deep in the soil. You can place the seeds in a pot also. You must not go on a watering spree. Water them when you feel the soil seems dry.

Since these are climbers, you will need to provide support for them. Once the plant starts gaining a little height, twine them around the supports. Keep checking the morning glory plants for diseases. If you see signs of any disease, you must treat it quickly using organic insect repellents or fungicides.

This was some information on the morning glory flower. Grow these stunning flowers and watch them bloom every morning. These plants look wonderful on walls, fences and trellis. So, get hold of their seeds and beautify the exteriors of your house with these vibrant flowers.

General Information On Perennial Flowers

The perennial flowers are capable of making your garden look colorful for the entire year. If you want to undertake the activity of perennial plants gardening, you will have to get perennial flower seeds from the nursery and do the sowing and nurturing work. Full Sun Perennials, Full Shade Perennials, Part Shade Perennials, Dry Soil Perennials, Moist Soil Perennials and Average Soil Perennials are the basic types of perennial flowers, which make the task of identifying the perennial flowers very easy.

You can enjoy vibrant flowers throughout the year, which are quite easy to maintain and nurture. You should remember that though you can plant perennial plants randomly, planting them in separate beds will give a good visual effect. You should be aware of the various landscaping techniques which will make your job of designing your garden easy. Have a good theme for your garden to execute the plans as decided. Initially you should try and have simple types of garden, but with experience, you can move towards the complicated gardening types. The roses and the lavenders are generally included in the scented flower garden type. Note that the perennial flower beds are generally ten feet wide for designing the flower beds . The selection of the perennial flowers for your garden should be done only after taking into consideration the prevailing conditions such as temperature, type of soil, availability of sunlight and water, to ensure that your plants grow well. Also select the flowers based on their height, blooming time span and colors which you want. A perennial purple flower garden will definitely fetch you a lot of appreciation for your creative work. Here are some perennial purple flowers, which you can plant to improve the looks of your garden.

Names of Perennial Purple Flowers

Delphinium is a flower which is famous for its striking looks and is available in many varieties. The height of these kinds of flowers is good and they are planted alone or at a place which is behind the annual plants or the perennials which are lower flowering. Salvia is another type of perennial plants, which has a height less than the Delphinium plants. The Veronica flowers are soft at their tips and have elongated cones. The flowering period of this flower is sometimes less than the other perennial purple flowers. The Butterfly Bush, as the name suggests attracts butterflies and is a decent looking flower. This flower has a long blooming period as compared to the other perennial purple flowers and has a prominent and important place in the purple flower garden. Catmint is another perennial flower which you can consider giving a place in your flower garden for the simple reason that apart from being beautiful, it requires very little water to survive and to add to this, it has a long blooming time. The Coneflower, which is also purple in color should be planted at a place which receives good sunlight, as it is very essential for its good growth. This flower is used as a medicinal herb and is three feet tall and attracts butterflies and bees.

Some More Perennial Purple Flowers

Here is a list of some more perennial purple flowers apart from the above listed flowers which you can plant in your garden:

• Lavender
• Pansy
• Liatris
• Aster
• Clematis
• Dianthus
• New England Aster
• Grecian windflower

Flowers symbolize peace and beauty. Having these perennial purple flowers is a visual treat for all those who visit your garden.

Begonia Flower-One Of The Most Highly Prized Ornamental Flower

The begonia flower comes from a small family with many branches. Begonias are a genus of the begoniaceae family, which only has two other members – symbegonia and hillebrandia. Despite its lack of relatives, begonias – with about 1,500 species to its name – are considered one of the top 10 largest angiosperm genera. Native to tropical regions of Asia, Central and South America, and Africa, the begonia flower thrives in a variety of sunlight – from full sun to full shade – and prefers moist, but well drained soil. The three main types of begonias include tuberous, perennials, and the very common semperflorens. All three types generally grow between six to nine inches in height, and come in varying shades of red, pink, white and yellow.

Given the large variety of species and extensive hybridization, the begonia flower has become one of the most highly prized ornamental flowers throughout Europe and the United States, and is frequently grown not only for its beautiful blossoms, but for its thick, green foliage. Cultivating, growing and tinkering with these lovely plants has become a passion for many avid growers. This can be easily noted by taking a look at the American Begonia Society, which was started in 1932 by Herbert P. Dyckman and a group of fellow enthusiasts.

This group discusses the plant and its growth, helps to educate about the varieties of begonias available, and puts on many shows and demonstrations. The begonia flower has also become a part of past and current culture. For example, one cultivar of this flower has become the symbol for North Korea; red blossoms were “tucked into” the hair of the star of “Scarlet Begonias” by the Grateful Dead, and many types of begonias have made their way into botanical and still life paintings.

The begonia flower is sometimes thought to represent fear, and when given to another person, some people believe that it is a warning to beware. On the other hand, it typically represents a person with a dreamy, almost innocent nature. As a gift, these are often presented to creative individuals and children because of their fanciful symbolism and their simple, unsullied beauty. These flowers can be given in the traditional bouquet, as a single flower, or within a hanging basket. However, for a more unique twist, you can easily create an origami begonia leaf and pin it to either a single flower, or place it at the center of a small bundle of blossoms.

Flower Availability

All Year Round
Begonias are annuals and do not like frost in the spring or fall. Set them out in containers, hanging baskets ,or your flowerbed after all risk of frost has past.

Care and Handling

Begonias grow best in a light well-drained soil. Begonias should be planted in raised beds, large pots or improve your soil. Six to eight inches of redwood mulch, oak leaf mold or other humus type of amendments dug into your soil will do wonders.

Bachelor's Button Makes A Welcome Addition To Any Garden

Cornflower, also known as Bachelor's Button or blue-bottle, makes a welcome addition to any garden if only for its sky blue color (though there are varieties in pink and white too).  But this plant has many other uses including having sturdy, long stems for cut flowers, making attractive medium to tall backdrops for the perennial or wildflower garden, being extremely easy to grow, and having some benefit in the medicinal garden. Though the flower taste is rather bland, in my opinion, Cornflowers still make an excellent garnish for salads, entrees, and drinks. 

Cornflowers are another member of the huge Aster family, and originate in Europe, where they are sometimes a nuisance in corn and grain fields, thus the name Cornflower.  They have naturalized throughout much of the United States, and are a mainstay in wildflower mixes.  They make long-lasting cut flowers, and indeed, the name Bachelor's Button comes from their lasting qualities when pinned into the lapel of a tuxedo or suit.  Cut blooms are also a good choice for wedding day hair ornaments or weaved into a hair band or head wreath.

Cornflowers come in both annual and perennial varieties, but the basic care and maintenance is the same. Sow seed either in late fall or early spring.  The seeds usually take 7-10 days to sprout, and germinate readily.  Pinching the annual varieties will produce more stems, and thus more flowers.  These plants have sturdy stems that hold up well to windy conditions, but occasionally you may have to stake an individual here and there.   Soil conditions can be variable, as long as it is well-drained,  but full sun, or nearly full sun is appreciated.  The plants self seed only sporadically, so fresh seed every year is suggested to assure their presence in the garden, though this does not rule out a volunteer here and there. 

Cornflowers make good container choices because of their draught tolerant nature, and also look wonderful in a garden mixed with Oriental Poppies, Dame's Rocket, Shasta Daisies, Coreopsis, Lavender, Zinnias, or a host of other plants.  Towards the end of the growing season, their foliage may become somewhat raggedy looking, so having other plants of nearly the same height around them is a good way to camouflage their decline.   The flowers can be dried in silica gel for craft projects, or hung upside down and dried for use in arrangements.  An infusion of the flowers in water will make a beautiful blue dye for fabrics, but it is not a permanent dye, unfortunately.  In Russia, the flowers are added to Vodka to give it a blue tint with a hint of spicy taste.

Bachelor's button grows one to three feet tall with innumerable fluffy but trim round flowers held above the rather sparse, long and narrow gray-green leaves. The habit of growth is relatively loose, except with compact new cultivars.

How to grow: Full sun in average soil is good. For earliest bloom, sow seeds outdoors in the fall so they will start to grow before the first frost and bloom the next spring. Otherwise, sow seeds outdoors as early in the spring as the soil can be worked. Thin to 8 to 12 inches apart.