Thank you Ron, I'll google a search on those and see what they look like. I had the hardest time getting my heavenly blues to germinate this spring while Grandpa Ott is effortlessly trying to take over the world.

I see you live in Netcong. Nice area! DH works for a small company that's based in Stanhope. His boss lives in Hoptacong. We go up that way frequently for short business stays and I always enjoy it..

i know for a fact that some morning glories just throw runners every where.. no seeds just runners. they bloom in clusters of three very pretty large blooms.. i have never seen seeds.. just runners that you can not get rid of..i have been trying for at least 10 years ..i pulled tons of rope-like runners from around my house, threw them bhind my barn. well guess what..they are blooming on top of my barn..HELP

gloria_j - Do the flowers in the link below look like the vine that you have on your garage(?)

Here is a link that might be useful: Ipomoea indica flowers and leaves in the PlantFiles

Below are several commonly available convolvulus species which can live in containers and aren't outrageous reseeders or spreaders. The first one is an annual, and the other two are tender perennials which cannot survive a winter outdoors in your zone. Perhaps one of these is the one you were thinking of.

Convolvulus tricolor "Blue Ensign". This species is available in several other colors as well.

Convolvulus cneorum "Bush Morning Glory"

Convolvulus mauritanicus "Ground Morning Glory"

Edit: disregard the above post. I posted on the wrong thread.

I searched for a few of these. Most are hard/impossible to find at the UMN plantfinder; I'd rather put my trust in a nationally known retailer with a reputation to protect than someone random bloke on ebay.
As for their weediness, people sometimes seem to find this one tricky to grow (Ipomoea leptophylla), but no one mentions it being a thug:
http://competitorsite_beginning_with_dave.com/guides/pf/go/32008/
(oh, we aren't allowed to link to the competition? fair enough)
So, that's promising at least.

While I was discussing this aspect on another thread, might as well continue here. Seems morning glories (from an outsider perspective, but I have > 20 years experience of serious horticultural experience) have the curse of low expectations. Merchants assume people just want seed strains, many of which do self-seed to some degree of agressiveness, instead of known clones of rare species that are not likely to spread. In any case, if the true Heavenly Blue, as mentioned above, doesn't spread...I want one. But I'm wary of growing it from seed or getting a seed grown plant.

BTW I'm in Maryland zn 7, so I'd assume the OP's condition are similar to mine. However, I have good soil which is a mixed blessing. SO many plants self-seed here aggressively. We had yews in my parent's garden and I never saw a seedling. Here, my Taxus baccata seed all over the place. Of course, they are about as innoucuous as self-down seedlings can be - easy to pull for a 2-3 years at least, and slow growing as can be. I even have camellias self seeding.

For example, you say Ipomoea indica doesn't self seed and should be available clonally. The only retail source doesn't list it anymore, apparently. It's funny compared to say rhododendron cultivars, these things are probably an absolute cinch to root. But nobody is doing it, because seed propagation is just so much easier. It's a shame.

Here is a link that might be useful: http://plantinfo.umn.edu/sources/sourceresult.asp?plantid=&fgsid=19244&genusid=2912&searchType=sourceresult.asp&plantName=ipomoea%20indica

Hi David - Thanks for your reply and feedback.

This reply is a combination of responses related to what was posted on another thread here:
http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/vines/msg0721424814478.html?6

and what has been posted on the current thread.
I have placed Daves original statements in quotation marks to indicate that is what Dave stated and / or asked.

I'm glad to reply to your suppositions and your inquiries...

"I suppose I should be sorry for touching a nerve."

No reason to be sorry , because whenever I see over-generalizations posted regarding Morning Glories , I will post to offset with accurate info and I have specialized in Morning Glories for over 5 decades.

I've traded and shared with people all over the world and own 2 groups devoted to all MG's....and I am very familiar with the peer reviewed literature...

I would suggest that you would need to look at sources other than the UMN plantfinder as many if not most are available and I did previously mention ebay as a source...

Try ebay for instance or use google advanced search
http://www.google.com/advanced_search

Do a search of members trade lists here:
http://members.gardenweb.com/members/exch-search.cgi

Did you only check the University of Minnesota site or did you also check other sources like ebay or members trade lists ?
Most would be available from those who have a particular interest in MG's , like many species or cultivars that are not offered by the Big Companies , those who belong to the plant groups often trade / share seeds amongst each other.

"...the fact is, the reason many non-Ipomaea smitten gardeners do not grow them, is because of their tendency to self-sow."

The choice of species and the particulars of how the plant is grown is a primary consideration, because tropical species will not survive cold wet Autumns or Springs and plants grown in containers on a smooth hard surface are much less likely to be problematic.

The self-perpetuation of any plants from seeds is certainly higher from plants grown in the middle of what is essentially a soft ground area and where it may be difficult to hand pull out any possible volunteers.

Here is my reply to the list I posted and availability...

Ipomoea alba - one of the easiest to locate

Ipomoea albivenia - - plants are becoming more commonly available in the US

Ipomoea carnea - ebay or JLHudson

Ipomoea lindheimeri - ebay

Ipomoea lobata - commonly available

Ipomoea macrorhiza - commonly available from MG traders

Ipomoea pandurata is often self-incompatible - ebay or traders

Ipomoea turbinata - now back to Ipomoea muricata - very common amongst seed traders

Ipomoea ochracea - seed trading circuit

Ipomoea setosa - common amongst seed traders

Ipomoea wrightii - ebay or seed traders

Merremia aegyptia - ebay or seed traders

Merremia dissecta - ebay or common amongst seed traders

Turbina corymbosa - ebay or seed traders

JLHudson, Seedsman
http://jlhudsonseeds.net/

"I'd rather put my trust in a nationally known retailer with a reputation to protect than someone random bloke on ebay.

A nationally know retailer to protect what (?)...their self-interest...
Did you know that MOST nationally owned big plant merchandizes are already owned by either MONSANTO or one of it's subsidiaries and Monsanto is the biggest threat to the environment that there is...

http://salsa3.salsalabs.com/o/50865/p/dia/action3/common/public/?action_KEY=8967

Ron says - For The Permanent Record:

The Vast majority of large seed sources do not have their Morning Glories accurately identified.

There are MANY Universities and Botanic gardens which do NOT have their Morning Glories accurately identified , although I have communicated with many sites over the years (including the USDA, e.g. ,about 25% of the species on their public site were mislabeled) ) assisting them with identification issues...

"While I was discussing this aspect on another thread, might as well continue here. Seems morning glories (from an outsider perspective, but I have > 20 years experience of serious horticultural experience) have the curse of low expectations."

I would say that Morning Glories are cursed by myths as the cause of any 'low expectations...also depends on what your expectations are...

"Merchants assume people just want seed strains, many of which do self-seed to some degree of agressiveness, instead of known clones of rare species that are not likely to spread.
In any case, if the true Heavenly Blue, as mentioned above, doesn't spread...
I want one. But I'm wary of growing it from seed or getting a seed grown plant."
"Which seems to be the main one addressing non-weedy morning glories. Surely these can be rooted though?

Seems like many offering seeds is just inviting the possibility of cross contamination with species whose seeds have better viability, and the eventual artificial selection of something that is likely to be weedier. "

The Ipomoea cross the species barrier with great difficulty...

The only hybrids known by human assisted / hand cross pollination are :

1) Ipomoea sloteri (an auto-tetraploid) in section Mina

2) 3 species within section Pharbitis = Ipomoea hederacea , Ipomoea nil and Ipomoea purpurea

3) The ONLY known open pollinated inter-specific hybrids are all within series Batatas (species all extremely closely related to Ipomoea batatas)...

Anybody claiming otherwise (no matter who it is) , likely needs to be acquainted with objective facts...

Here is a great site devoted to Morning Glories:
http://protist.i.hosei.ac.jp/Asagao/Yoneda_DB/E/menu2.html

"There are species which will NOT survive a cold wet Autumn or Spring (Ipomoea tricolor)" it seems like you are hedging your bets.
Are you saying if I plant this vine in spring, even though it will bloom all summer I will not have a problem with seedlings around and under it?

No, not hedging my bets at all...the Ipomoea tricolor doesn't start to flower until the mid-summer and by the time any seeds are ripe , it will be almost time for the weather to be too cold for any self-sown plants to grow very much.

Choice of species is important and obtaining your seeds from someone who accurately identifies their species is also important.

I have made myself available for several decades to people who are looking for identifications and I am still available...before or after you obtain any plants or seeds...

"So, apparently the name of 'Heavenly Blue' has been degraded from a cultivar to a seed strain. In that case can you recommend a source for the true, sterile 'Heavenly Blue'?
Are there any other sterile morning glories? For that matter feel free to recommend your "top 3 varieties that are not sterile, but unlikely to self seed in normal conditions".
For example when you say this: "There are species which will NOT survive a cold wet Autumn or Spring (Ipomoea tricolor)" it seems like you are hedging your bets.
Are you saying if I plant this vine in spring, even though it will bloom all summer I will not have a problem with seedlings around and under it?
It's very windy here, I cannot possibly gather every seed that might germinate.
The people who owned this house ten years ago had (probably bog standard) morning glories in one small area only, thankfully. 10 years later I still pull up around 5-10 seedlings a year, down from scores. "

Ipomoea seeds are eaten by mice, chipmunks, squirrels , birds , particularly grainivorous birds like partridges, pigeons, doves, quail, grouse, pheasant and songbirds...
You might have a species growing which was given to you by the birds...

Ipomoea tricolor "Heavenly Blue" is not sterile, nor are any other cultivars of Ipomoea tricolor like "Blue Star" , Flying Saucers", Pearly Gates" or Wedding Bells"......that myth probably arose from some sellers realizing that it rarely successfully self-sows...and if you are having problems with a species of MG successfully self-sowing after 10 years , it isn't Ipomoea tricolor...

Thread addressing at least in part as to whether Ipomoea tricolor is sterile or not
http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/vines/msg04092751814.html

You want recommendations on a MG that should not be problematic as per any aggressive self-perpetuating in your area...
The epithets followed by an asterisk are the top 3 as you requested , but all of the others would also qualify

Convolvulus cneorum - clones - - perennial can be over-wintered indoors

Convolvulus sabatius - clones - - perennial can be over-wintered indoors

Evolvulus glomeratus - most are self incompatible clones - perennial can be over-wintered indoors

Ipomoea alba - moon-flower that tens to flower very late in the season - usually grown as an annual

Ipomoea indica* - most are clones - perennial usually grown as an annual - can be over-wintered indoors

Ipomoea nil* - large japanese asagao types , especially the double forms - annual

Ipomoea setosa - doesn't like cold - annual

Ipomoea tricolor* - won't survive cold - annual

Ipomoea wrightii - doesn't like cold - annual

Merremia dissecta - won't self perpetuate in cold areas - annual

Stictocardia beraviensis - most are clones - perennial can be over-wintered indoors

Turbina corymbosa - won't survive cold - perennial can be over-wintered indoors

The reason the forums exist is so we can share information.

Should you locate any source offering MG seeds or plants and you want to post it on here for feedback , I will do what I can to assist in an accurate ID...

regards,

Ron

P.S. - davidrt28 - I noticed that you don't have the function enabled for members to send you a private message via your homepage link ...
You might want to consider enabling that option...or , I invite you to send me a private e-mail message so that I can share something which I cannot post in the forum...
http://www.gardenweb.com/auth/nph-logincheck.cgi?action=public_profile&user=/ron_convolvulaceae

This post was edited by ron_convolvulaceae on Sun, Jul 13, 14 at 16:27

Ron,
Thanks for your very detailed and thoughtful reply. I'm still a little skeptical, but I will at least try one of the tricolor selections next year. You enlightened me on various points, for example I am surprised that MGs are so bad at outcrossing. Is Logee's an acceptable national retailer? Only because I will probably order a couple other tropicals at the same time.

I had to turn off my ability to be emailed some time ago because I got in an extended argument w/someone, I'd prefer leaving it that way for a little longer yet.

David - Logees has a good reputation as far as I know but I doubt that you will be able to locate Ipomoea tricolor as a clonal plant...although Logees may have other clonal species usually grown as container plants within Ipomoea and Stictocardia...

I've been sharing about MG's for a 'long time' and the only time I have ever encountered anyone complain about Ipomoea tricolor re-seeding is when they were actually growing a different species like Ipomoea purpurea but didn't know it because their original stock was mislabeled or , they had volunteers which they thought were Ipomoea tricolor , but were not.

Ipomoea tricolor is one of the MG's that is not going to be a problem regarding successful self-sowing...

Please feel free to contact me any time there is an identification or other issue regarding any Morning Glories...

Good Luck and remember don't believe everything that you think (!)

Trying to get seeds from Heavenly Blue. This year, that's all I grew, and even though the pods swelled, they take forever to dry. I think they are sterile. I did pollinate a couple myself, and am waiting. BUT, no one.. no one has been able to answer the question of HOW seed growers get Heavenly Blue seeds. Experts, arise! Thanks!