Moonvine (Ipomoea alba) is a strange beauty that waits until day’s end to unfold its shimmering white, very fragrant flowers. I have enjoyed this annual ornamental ever since Methuselah was a kid. Last year, I kept an informal diary on my latest moonvine experience, just to see if I could give you enough of a tingle to try them yourself.
March. After nicking moonvine seeds’ tough outer shells with a metal file, I soak them in water overnight, plant each in its own 4-inch-diameter pot filled with a perlite/quality potting soil mix, and put them on a seed propagation heating mat.
April. As plantlets emerge, I slip them under LED grow lights and start watering with a weak fertilizer solution.
‘Goldfinch’ deciduous magnolia in bloom — enjoy now, but prune soon.
Pruning woody ornamentals is a necessary chore if any start to look raggedy or have begun to stretch past their allotted growing space. Summer-flowering woodies are typically pruned in February before their leaves begin to show. However, for early blooming beauties such as spirea, lilac, Carolina jessamine, camellia, viburnum, deciduous magnolia, forsythia, flowering quince, kerria, mock orange, witch hazel, and weigelia, enjoy their flowering flaunts now. Then, if necessary, prune them as soon as possible after they have finished their very welcomed springtime shows.
May. I’m not happy with the ground temps — moonvines need warm soil to mature and will sulk if they don’t have it. So I just let my contained, gangly 12- to 15-inch vines bask in a sunny outdoor location until the end of the month.
June. All the beauties-to-be have been planted around my sunny deck, which they will use as a climbing support — positioning them right under my nose when they bloom.
July. Plants are only about 7 feet tall — puny for moonvine that can stretch up to 15 feet, but I know with the rising temperatures they will jump by the end of the month. I add a dose of low-nitrogen fertilizer to boost their soil nutrients.
August. The Late Show is beginning. By mid-month, vines have tumbled over the top of my deck railing, flaunting their first flowers — which only last a single night.
September. It’s been a wet month, but in spite of the slop, more and more 5- to 6-inch diameter ghostly blossoms are opening, inviting me with their irresistible scents to join them in the dark.
October. Bloom production reaches its peak, and foliage is starting to look shabby. I’ll still enjoy ’em while I can.
November. The nocturnal flower-fest has sputtered, so now I listen for rattles. Moonvine flowers beget seeds, which, since mine are a straight species, will come true next year. The trick is to harvest the seeds when they are dry enough. I just shake the dark brown acorn-size pods, and if they rattle, I reap, putting the seeds in a sealable plastic bag with a small pack of silica gel. They are then tucked away in a dark drawer until spring, when these seeds will become the stars (literally) of next summer’s Late Show.
To Do in the Garden
March
- If your veggie green thumb is starting to itch, give it a scratch this month by starting carrots, cabbage, broccoli, collards, Swiss chard, cauliflower, lettuce, kale, leeks, mustard greens, onions, potatoes, bush peas, spinach, and/or radishes.
- While mulch is certainly a beneficial addition to garden beds, hold off on covering areas where summer vegetable or ornamental annuals will be grown. Wait until at least May before spreading it so the strengthening sun can help warm the soil’s temperature to a comfortably cozy level for cold-sensitive seeds and young plants.
- Fall-planted, spring-blooming bulbs such as crocuses, daffodils, species tulips, spring starflowers, and Spanish bluebells can naturalize in area gardens, but they will become established sooner and spread faster if their energy-absorbing leaves are allowed to fade from green to brown before being pruned to the ground.
- Garden Adventurer: A Moonvine Diary
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- Flying Colors
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