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Flowers · annual climber
Morning glory from seed
Ipomoea purpurea
- Sowing depth
- about ½ in (12 mm)
- Light
- Cover the seed; darkness helps
- Before sowing
- Hard seed: nick the coat or soak overnight before sowing.
- Start indoors
- 3 to 4 weeks before planting out
- Plant out
- 1 to 2 weeks after the last frost
- Sow outdoors
- 1 to 2 weeks after the last frost
Your dates from your last frost Seed not coming up?
General guidance only: Iowa State describes scarifying hard seed coats. No tested numbers were found.
Sowing
Direct-sow after frost in warm soil, or start in separate pots 3 to 4 weeks ahead because roots dislike disturbance. Nicking or soaking seed helps.
Care and transplanting
Give a trellis early. Plants flower best in lean soil.
Problems
Seed that never swells has an intact coat; nick it. Plants self-sow aggressively in warm climates.
Saving seed
Collect dry pods in autumn.