I'm guessing you have either read something incorrectly, misunderstood what you read or just read some bogus info.

Blue morning glory plants are not sterile. I've grown at least 20 different kinds of blue MG over the past 30 years, from the traditionally known heavenly blue, to many of the Japanese type varieties, all of which bloomed a "real blue" and they all produced seeds. Some produce more seeds than others, some are far more prolific in their seed production, but they all produced seeds.

Fran

Could you have Ipomoea indica? Google it and see what you think---it has cobalt-blue blooms.

It's a perennial where there's no frost, and it pretty much IS sterile, setting very few seeds. BUT---it will root any place it touches the ground.

It depends on the species of the morning glory in question and your zone.

Blue Ipomoea nil (Japanese morning glory) seeds rarely survive the Canadian winters up here - I've only had one gray seed survive the winter and reseeded itself (this observation was also noted by another gardener that grew gray coloured morning glories).

Ipomoea tricolor (cultivar Heavenly Blue) on the other hand will re-seed itself and is a very vigorous grower in any zones.

It could also be possible that it is I. indica as msbatt mentioned above.

Whenever I see unwanted morning glory leaves running across my lawn I just yank it out - once they flower and set seeds and if they can survive winters, it takes much more effort to control

Another way to control morning glories is to plant them in pots - even in small pots. I am planning to do this method this summer to cover my balcony rails :). Some species of morning glories, specially I. purpurea don't seem to mind poor soils and contained spaces. The only problem is that you will have to water more frequently as they are out in the full sun and smaller pots do not hold moisture as long as bigger pots do.

Hope this helps,

Eliz

Ipomoea tricolor will NOT successfully self-perpetuate outdoors in any area colder than an USDA zone 7b...nor in the Midlands, UK

Nobu did NOT receive any real Ipomoea tricolor 'summer skies' either...

P.S. - Flagged (!!!)

applicable wise saying = ...wolves in sheep's clothing...associated with the RL virus

Hi, I see Ipomoea indica has been mentioned as a possibility. Below is a link to pics of my friend's parent plant & my cuttings of it for you to compare with yours later on. My cuttings were planted out in July & grew to 7 ft before frost but no blooms or seeds yet. My friend thinks that hers must be the sterile I. indica as she has never seen any seedpods. It dies back in the winter in this climate & still has not leafed out even though the azaleas are blooming. It's in part shade so will probably just take some time to grow back.

I have it planted in a flower bed that is edged with brick so I can cut off any pieces that try to escape. Ron told me last year that it propagates from above-ground stems taking root & from seeds. Does not grow underground unbeknownst to you & pop up 25 ft away where you least expect it.

As long as I keep it in a bricked area & cut back the stems trying to escape, it will not take me over. Especially since it dies back in the winter & completely disappears from view. Thanks again to Ron, Joseph & Karyn, who helped me with it last year.

Here is a link that might be helpful: Pics & thread on our Ipomoea indica

Well, I planted my Heavenly Blue Morning Glory about 2 weeks ago and it is anything but heavenly. Why is it just sitting there doing nothing??? In fact, it looks to be less dense than when I first planted it. Maybe I have to tell it that it is a weed and better get with the program????!!! We live near Palm Springs, CA so it does get sun, it gets a fair bit of water and the soil is sandy.

bichonlover3 - I see that you are in zone 9, correct? In warmer zones, there is a strong possibility that you might get some volunteers.

There are some species of MGs that will reseed themselves and you may get lots of volunteers the following year ... or even the same year!

Do you have a photo you could share of yours? It would be helpful to see what vine you have.

Hi Becky!
I will try to post picture. Does it take some time before a new plant will "take hold" and start growing? When I brought it home, it was dense and grabbing on to everything. Now it looks sparse and just plain pooped :)

Hmmm ... perhaps it's gone into shock from the move or transplant? Most MGs don't like their roots disturbed. You could try fertilizing/watering it with a weak solution of MiracleGrow.

Is there a varity of pernnial morning glory that will withstand the winter. When I was growing up on the farm in Southern Alberta the east side of out farm house had out of control morning glories that came back with a vengence year after year. Were can I find this. (the new owners of our farm eventually got tired of the aphids on it and tore it down and dug up the roots, so no hope there to transplant) Help