Wanting to decorate their summer cottage, or maybe just a balcony, many owners prefer bindweed plants. This is not surprising. After all, such plants very beautifully frame objects located on the territory of the site, dissolving beautiful flowers. Ipomoea is familiar to mankind for a long time. It is considered one of the most delicate plant varieties that you can choose to decorate a summer cottage.
Many poems are dedicated to this indescribably beautiful plant. And this is not surprising. Anyone who has ever seen the freshness of her delicate buds will forever fall in love with this miracle of nature. Different species are distinguished by bright colors. Breeders annually create new varieties of this plant. Because of this, bud coloring takes on a wide variety of options.
general characteristics
Leaves and flowers look indescribably gently on the stem. Ipomoea (photo presented below) can outshine many garden plants with its beauty.
The name of the plant comes from the merger of two Greek words, which in translation sound like the phrase "similar to a worm." This is due to the appearance of the underground part of the flower.
However, far from all nations the name of the plant sounds so prosaic. Its beauty reflects the English name, which is translated into Russian means "glorifying morning." In Japan, morning glory is called "morning face." This is no coincidence. The flowers of this family are distinguished by the peculiarity of blooming with the first rays of the rising sun and closing at noon. If the day is cloudy, the plant does not close its buds until evening.
A variety of flowers fall into this group. Ipomoea is the largest genus of the family Convolvulus. They include about 500 varieties of herbs. This even includes some types of shrubs and trees. The plant in the wild lives in the temperate and tropical latitudes of Eurasia, Africa and America.
The root of the plant is rod, less often tuberous. The stem of almost all species is curly (creeping). This is a photophilous plant that loves plentiful watering. The plant blooms in summer and even in autumn. Ipomoea has many buds, but the duration of each of them is no more than a day. Therefore, she throws away all new flowers.
The fruit is like a spherical box. It contains from 4 to 6 seeds of a rather large form.
Nature of the plant
Bright flowers look very beautiful on various objects of the site. Ipomoea (photo below) is distinguished by certain features of agricultural technology.
They must be considered by everyone who is going to grow a plant in their area. This is an annual creeper. She grows very quickly, releasing a mustache and clinging to the vertical supports she meets. If there are shtaketins, trees, threads, wire or nets stretched up on the site, hedges, morning glory will cling to them. With proper care, the liana blooms very abundantly. Some species may even collect buds in paniculate groups.
In wild conditions, morning glory flowers can have a size of 5 to 15 cm. But artificially bred varieties have buds up to 20 cm. This increases the decorative qualities of the plant.
If the weather is rainy, the bud remains closed all day. Pollination occurs in corollas closed by petals. But on a sunny day, the plant is pollinated by insects. In the wild, even birds (hummingbirds) or small animals (bats) can participate in this process.
Depending on the variety, today there are morning glories designed for the conditions of the infield, as well as indoor plants. Therefore, when purchasing seeds, it is necessary to clarify under what conditions this species must exist.
Varieties
There are a huge number of plants belonging to the genus Ipomoea. Among them, even individual families stand out. These include various flowers. Ipomoea kvamoklit, coloniktion, farbitis are the most common.
Farbitis flowers are very popular today. One of the most common varieties is Havently Blue. Its flowers are blue in color. In their center, yellow-blue colors prevail. These are very beautiful flowers.
The colonicion (also called moonflower) is distinguished by white colors. They exude a delicate sweet aroma. Most morning glories cannot boast of this. A peculiarity of the moonflower is the ability of the buds to bloom for only one night. But the flowering period can continue until the very frost.
Ipomoea kvamoklit looks pretty elegant.
The foliage of plants of this variety is similar to openwork feathers. Against such a background, flowers stand out with bright red stars. Ipomoea Slamot's quamoclite looks like a cirrus plant with fiery red buds. The tight curtains formed by them will decorate any site.
Popular varieties of morning glory
A variety of species is famous for morning glory. A photo of the flowers in the garden is presented below. Several of the most popular plant varieties stand out, which are worth considering in more detail. This will allow you to choose the right kind of creeper.
Very abundant flowering and high density of leaves is characterized by Cairo morning glory. If you want to decorate objects on the site with a beautiful natural carpet of flowers, you should give preference to this particular variety.
Indescribable beauty of buds blossoms morning glory sky blue. Flowers have a long leg and are able to turn towards the sun. The buds have an azure hue. And the purple morning glory is characterized by a rich expressive shade. Her stems are very long. They can reach 8 m. The buds are pink, red, purple, purple.
Ipomoea Nile is characterized by a very rapid growth of the stem. The buds of this plant can be of various colors. These are pink, and blue, and lilac shades. There are also buds of dark, saturated colors.
Many artificially bred varieties are used everywhere for decorative purposes. The variety of shapes and colors is difficult to retell. Everyone can choose a plant to their liking.
Propagation of morning glory
Ipomoea flowers , the cultivation of which is a simple and exciting activity, are most often grown from seeds. In a warm climate, they can be sown immediately in the ground. But in the middle latitude it is still better to resort to the seedling method. Otherwise, the plant may simply not bloom.
Seeds before planting should be soaked for a day in a small amount of water. During this time they should swell. If this does not happen, the seeds can be pricked with a needle. This process is called scarification. After that, the seeds are again soaked for a day.
It will be very easy to organize a small greenhouse. Just in a small container soil is poured. Pre-swollen seeds are planted in it. Then they are covered with glass or polyethylene. The tank is regularly ventilated. As the land dries, it is watered.
The first shoots appear 1-2 weeks after planting. As soon as the first leaves appear from the earth, the film or glass is removed. When the plant will have about 4 full leaves, it can be transplanted into the ground. This is done together with a lump of earth at the root system. It should be large enough, since morning glory does not like transplants.
Then for the seedlings it is necessary to provide support. Otherwise, the stems will become intertwined. To unravel them later will be almost impossible.
When can I land?
Very many owners seek to have these flowers on their site. Morning glory, which is planted in open ground at the site, involves breeding seedlings. The whole process should begin in March-April. The plant grows very fast. Therefore, after 3 weeks it will be completely ready for a transplant. It makes no sense to plant seedlings in advance.
Before planting seeds in greenhouse soil, it is necessary to calculate what ambient temperature can be already after 3 weeks. If it should not (according to forecasts) fall below +10 degrees, then you can begin to work.
The plant does not tolerate frost. The normal climate for him is warm, humid weather. A line of +10 degrees is critical for most types of morning glory. In exceptional cases, the liana can withstand extreme temperatures for it up to +2 degrees. But this is quite rare.
It is best to plant seeds in open ground at a time when the night temperature will not fall below +10 degrees. This is most often characteristic for April-May.
How does planting in the ground?
You can immediately plant flower seeds in the ground. Ipomoea rises well, but before that, the seeds must be soaked for a day in water. If the weather was appropriate, shoots will appear in a week.
After the first shoots pierced the thickness of the earth, there is a rapid growth of morning glory. Near each creeper it is necessary to put a support. Ipomoea is regularly nipped. This is done when the stem will have about 4 full leaves. This contributes to the rapid emergence of new shoots from the sinuses that make the flower voluminous. Ipomoea, properly planted and cared for, blooms faster and grows denser.
Regardless of whether seedlings or only seeds are planted in the soil, the distance between each individual plant should be at least 20 cm. This will provide the required space for the root system of the plant, allowing it to receive the necessary nutrients from the soil.
Breeding on the balcony
These flowers decorate the balcony very beautifully. Ipomoea can be planted in a pot. If there is not enough light, the plant will release excess leaves, and flowering will be sparse. Therefore, it is necessary to think carefully about its location.
The balcony should also be glazed. On its open varieties, wind can easily damage the stem and leaves of a plant. Proper protection of morning glory must be provided. In such conditions, the plant can be planted in large pots, as well as long boxes. When planting, it is necessary to calculate the density so that for every morning glory fall at least 2.5 liters of soil.
In such circumstances, proper care is extremely important. Full watering, bait and gentle handling will allow you to grow an indescribable beauty plant even on the balcony.
Plant diseases
It happens that the plant does not throw flowers. Morning glory susceptible to various diseases. To prevent this, it is necessary to ensure proper care of the plant. The most common pathogens are aphids and spider mites.
If the green leaves of morning glory are suddenly covered with yellow spots, this most likely indicates a harmful effect of aphids on it. This parasite punctures the leaf plate and draws juices from it. In this case, aphid emits honey dew. On this substance, a sooty fungus killing for the plant begins to multiply .
To preserve life and well-being for your plant, it is necessary to treat the leaves with the appropriate insecticide at the first sign of aphids. The faster this is done, the faster morning glory will be able to recover.
The second dangerous pest for the presented plant is a spider mite. He makes himself felt by a thin web. She appears on the leaves of a flower. You can also notice small dots. Here, the fight against the pest is quite simple. You just need to spray the leaves with cold water daily.
Plant care
A rather picky plant is considered to be morning glory. A flower, the care of which does not require much effort and time, will be grateful to its owners for the right actions. He will thank morning glory with their wonderful flowering.
Initially, it is necessary to provide proper support for the creeper. You can install a vertical grid or wire for these purposes.
The soil should always be slightly moist. Too strong or, conversely, scarce watering is equally dangerous for the plant. In order for morning glory to please the eye with an abundance of buds, it should be regularly fed with a frequency of 1 time in 5 days. Fertilizers should contain little nitrogen and a lot of phosphorus. This stimulates its flowering.
Due to improper care, the plant can quickly fade. It can be sick, which will affect flowering. The immunity of the plant after suffering hardships becomes very fragile. Therefore, it is better to care for him correctly and in a timely manner.
A lot of people tend to have flowers on their site or balcony. Ipomoea produces unusually beautiful buds. They will delight the owners for a long time. Without requiring special care, morning glory is a picky plant. This is the perfect solution to decorate any garden or even a balcony. The fast growth rate will even hide the flaws of the surrounding objects and fill the world around with harmony and indescribable beauty.