Monday, July 15, 2019

Japanese Asagao (Morning Glories)

Many of you will remember the 'Chocolate' morning glory (Ipomoea nil) I was growing on the kitchen windowsill last winter. I started the seeds in November and the first flower opened about the beginning of February. I was amazed at how easily it grew indoors with nothing but natural window light during the short winter days! It was such a happy discovery for me and this winter I intend to turn the area around the kitchen window, as well as my bedroom window, into a bower of morning glories! 😊


Ipomoea nil is commonly called the Japanese morning glory, although it is actually not native to Japan, but to many tropical regions throughout the world. It is believed that this flower was brought to Japan from China during the Heian period (794-1185 A.D.) but it became especially popular during the Edo period (1603-1868) when selective breeding produced many beautiful colors and forms. The Japanese call it "Asagao" which literally means "morning face", and their love for this beautiful flower continues to this day, with the Iriya Morning Glory Festival taking place in Tokyo each year.
Well let me warn you, growing Ipomoeas is dangerously addicting! 😁 Someone very kindly sent me a whole bunch of seeds last winter and now I'm growing several different varieties. I have 24 seedlings right now which will hopefully be ready to bloom by mid-fall, and I'll probably start some more in another month or so for winter blooms. The trick is that I have to start them early enough so they can attain a good size before I have to bring them indoors, as the Bengals think they are delicious! 😒
The Japanese also have special ways of pruning these plants so they remain short and bushy and produce several huge flowers all at once. You can see some very beautiful examples here, and here! Needless to say, I'm looking forward to trying this too!



This seedling with the bright lime-green leaves will have unique curly leaves and purple "reverse-tube" flowers...


'Purple Reverse Tube' seedlings contrasting with 'Star of India'...


I'm also growing a couple of more unusual Ipomoea species...this is I. transvaalensis, which is a native of Africa.


And this is I. pubescens, a caudex forming species native from Mexico to Paraguay!


I'm so looking forward to watching these grow and bloom and I'm sure there will be lots of new discoveries along the way! 😊
Posted by at
Labels: , ,

6 comments:

  1. VeleriaJuly 15, 2019 at 9:25 AM

    I hope you will be selling some of the seeds from the one you grew indoors this past winter. Did you hand pollinate any to get seeds? I used to raise morning glories a lot, then one day these bright beautiful gold beetles ate them up. Had not seen these beetles before. (I have lived here 41 years in Oct.) Well I didn't replant for several years. Then I tried again and wouldn't you know, out of nowhere, came those gold beetles again and destroyed them all. I would like to try growing some indoors like you do. Yours are so beautiful. I would like the seeds from the one you have indoors now. They are so beautiful. I will watch for them when you offer your seeds. Loved your post. Veleria

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. JoannaJuly 15, 2019 at 10:55 AM

      I actually didn't save any seeds from my 'Chocolate' plants. :( I was focusing on prolonging its blooming as long as possible so I was deadheading the spent flowers (I would get 2 new buds in the same place after pinching off the spent flower!). It is still blooming sporadically so I could try to hand pollinate a few for you, but that might take a while. I do have some seeds for another chocolate-colored MG called 'Chocolate Blizzard'...I wouldn't sell them because they were given to me, but I would be very happy to share some with you! Let me know! :) Other alternatives would be Baker Creek Heirloom Seed Company where I got the seeds for the one I grew: https://www.rareseeds.com/chocolate-morning-glory/, and then there's Jacksonville Morning Glory Vineyards (https://jmgvines.com/available-varieties/ipomoea-nil/). I haven't ordered from them yet but probably will in the future!
      Anyway hope that helps! I do hope to be able to offer seeds for some Japanese morning glories eventually but it probably won't be for at least another year. I'm having so much fun growing them, I want others to get to enjoy them too! :)

      Delete
  2. Eliza WatersJuly 16, 2019 at 2:57 PM

    What a fun exploration of morning glory species, Joanna! I'm looking forward to reading about your reports on your latest adventure in gardening. :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. JoannaJuly 17, 2019 at 11:17 AM

      Thanks Eliza! I'm sure I will be talking a lot about these from now on! :D

      Delete
  3. JasonJuly 17, 2019 at 12:08 PM

    So much more to the world of Morning Glories than I realized! I do remember lots of Morning Glories in the streetside container gardens in Japanese cities when we visited there.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. JoannaJuly 18, 2019 at 12:19 PM

      I had no idea so many different varieties existed either until a few months ago. Some of them are so incredibly beautiful I thought at first that they must have been photo shopped! :D And then there are all the different species in the Ipomoea genus, many of which are also very beautiful!

      Delete

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)