What's the Story Morning Glory?

Back in the Victorian Era, our ever-discreet cousins from across the pond developed a very specific means of communicating their innermost feelings in a most genial way. Rather than taking the callous, direct, dare I say, American route of total forthrightness, deepest emotions where conveyed by means of a single flower. (Afterall, nothing says "Get lost!" quite like a bouquet of Touch-me-Nots)! Ok, that last one is a jest. But it is a fact that this language extended far beyond a red rose meaning love and a yellow rose friendship.

Today, for instance, I was surprised to learn that a flower I have grown for 3 years - the Morning Glory - symbolized love in vain. (*If you think that's bad, can you believe there is actually a flower called, Love Lies Bleeding? Two guesses what it means...) That all said, friends: I hope you never have a Victorian kind of cause for growing this flower, but I do hope you will grow it anyway. I have found that unlike love, this is a flower that will accept very minimal effort on your behalf and nonetheless provide many months of returns!

Morning Glories are so diverse that these two words encompass hundreds of species from around the world. They are found in China, Japan, Europe, the tropics, and very soon, my backyard. There are so many kinds to grow! The three pictured here are our favorites. First, is the Crimson Rambler, a real waker-upper! Second, the Heavenly Blue, an aptly named heirloom. Third is Grandpa Ott's - another beautiful heirloom that is the perfect choice if you can't decide between red or blue!

Despite their diversity, up until recently we only grew them one way. Up a flat trellis to cover up the ooglier sections of our abode or right up against the the house. The only thing was, the ooglier locations on our property weren't my favorite places to hang out. So, it was like I never saw them. I wanted them somewhere I could drink my morning coffee and look at my morning glories. (Because I am an old married woman. Be quiet! ^_-)! So one day I was looking at green bean trellises and it hit me! A MORNING GLORY TEEPEE! I could put in anywhere in the yard, specifically somewhere I like to park it and do nothing. Turns out, I'm not a genius though. I did a Google search for "morning glory teepee" and saw I am far from the first person to think of this...not that it makes it any less a good idea.

Reed built our morning glory teepee in just a few moments. He dug up a 3' X 3' circle of earth, built a bamboo tent around it, and put 6''dollar store flower fencing to help get the little guys started. That's all it takes. You shouldn't even have to add soil amendments since morning glories thrive in poor soil.

Once you have your support, follow these steps to grow your own morning glories:

1. Order your morning glory seeds or buy them from a store.
2. Wait until the frost is passed
   
3. Chip the seeds with a small knife & soak the seeds in water overnight.
4. Sow seeds directly about 1'' deep.
5. As they come up, train the the little fellas to grow up your support
6. Watch & Enjoy.

That's about it. Unlike many flowers, they will not shrivel up and die if you don't water them everyday and they last until frost. Stay tuned for more pictures of my morning glory teepee in full bloom! (And read on for more factoids about this flower).

• If you're more of a night-owl, follow the same instructions to grow a Moonflower. The bloom is so much like a morning glory, but is snow white and blooms at night.
• Morning glory seeds contain lysergic acid amide which is not too chemically distant from lysergic acid diethylamide - we know it as LSD. Consider this if you're responsible for an experimentally-natured youth. I don't think it's as deadly as say, the Jimsonweed seed that's sometimes ingested for this purpose (The entire Jimsonweed plant is truly to be avoided!) But the naturalist in me shies away eating from anything that shows a skull and cross bones in the field guide index, you know?
• The Japanese also really like morning glories (asagao; "asa" means "morning"). The flower is a symbolic celebration of summer and also seems to hold some emotional significance like remembrance or nostalgia. I can't quite put my finger on it.
• If you want to try something really cool, plant lettuce in your morning glory teepee. It will protect the tender leaves from burn and critters and is also a great use of maximum space!