Ampel morning glory - deciduous ornamental plant

Ipomoea (family Bindweed) is an ornamental herbaceous vine grown in our conditions as an annual. The shoots of the plant can reach 2-5 m, depending on the variety. Leaves of various colors and shapes are decorative, variegated varieties are found.

Ipomoea ampelous

Ipomoea flowers are funnel-shaped, buds open at sunrise, bloom for one day. Some varieties have a pleasant aroma. Flowering is usually very abundant, gramophone flowers cover almost the entire plant. Some species are bred because of the high decorative foliage.

Variety Ruby Lights with feathery foliage and bright red flowers

It is extremely easy to care for morning glory - it is unpretentious, easily tolerates a lack of light, watering and soil fertility.

There are more than 500 species of morning glory in the world, about 25 species are grown in Russia.

As an element of landscape design, Ipomoea ampelous organically fits into various compositions when landscaping balconies, terraces and gazebos.

Decorative species and varieties of morning glory

For growing as an ampelous plant, seven types of vines are most suitable:

• ivy;
• kvamoklit;
• purple;
• blue;
• morning glory Nile;
• moon-flowering;
• morning glory Batat.

Ipomoea purple - grows up to 3 m, green lanceolate foliage. Flowers with a diameter of 8 cm are blue, pink, lilac, white. Varieties: Starfish, Scarlett O̕ Hara, Giselle.

Kvamoklit is a plant up to 5 m tall, leaves are light green, carved. Flowers are medium-sized, bright red. The most famous types: Slaughter's quamoklite, variegated kvamoklite.

Morning glory Nile - grows up to 3 m, strongly branches, leaves are large, heart-shaped. Flowers up to 10 cm in diameter are red, purple, blue. The most famous hybrid is Serenade with double red flowers with a diameter of 8 cm. The semi-double Pikoti variety is interesting with a white border on a blue or red background.

Ipomoea blue - liana up to 5 m long, gives many lateral processes. Large blue and purple flowers with a diameter of about 10 cm are collected in inflorescences of 3-4 pieces. Varieties: Sky, Wedding Bells, Flying Saucer, Blue Star, Pearl Gates.

Moon-flowering is a species of loach with heart-shaped three-toed leaves. White or pink flowers with a pleasant aroma open at sunset or in cloudy weather.

Ipomoea ampelous with purple leaves

The most interesting for planting in pots and containers is the morning glory sweet potato, which relatively recently began to be grown as an ornamental species. Liana gained popularity in flower arrangements due to its originality, a variety of foliage colors and the direction of plant growth, convenient for planting in hanging pots.

Morning glory Sweet potato has a tuberous edible rhizome with yellow or lilac flesh. It reproduces exclusively in a vegetative way, flowers are few in number. The flower can be propagated by dividing the tuber or by cuttings.

The flower can be grown as a perennial. To do this, with the onset of cold weather, they bring it into the house. In the spring, the elongated shoots are subjected to cardinal pruning.

Many modern varieties are bred solely for the spectacular foliage used in landscape design to decorate the background. The sweet potato rises in height by only 30 cm, but it actively grows in the horizontal direction up to 2 m.

The species is interesting for the variety of colors of foliage from pink to lilac, purple, almost black shades. Varieties with purple leaves:

• Illusion Midnigt Lace - deciduous variety, purple shoots with green tint;
• Sweet Caroline Purple - five-lobed burgundy purple leaves
• Sweet Georgia - heart-shaped, light green-pink foliage, purple on the inside;
• Black Tone - the leaves are medium-sized, heart-shaped, dark purple in color, close to black.

Ipomoea ivy

It begins to bloom from early July until the onset of cold weather. Flowers are collected in inflorescences of 2-3 pieces, various shades of red. Funnel-shaped flowers open only for one day, but due to the abundance of buds, the flower mass completely covers the leaves.

Ipomoea ivy Roman Candy has variegated green-white foliage and cherry flowers with a white throat. The variety works well in compositions where it is used as an ampelous plant.

The plant grows up to 2-3 m, has three-lobed leaves resembling ivy greenery

Ipomoea ampelous deciduous-decorative

Coming up with various combinations, you can create contrasting compositions using both different varieties of vines and combining them with other ampelous plants.

The most interesting deciduous ornamental varieties:

• Ligth Green - a plant with light green five-lobed leaves, creates the illusion of a tender young growth;
• Sweet Caroline Bronze - crisp, openwork burgundy foliage with a bronze sheen;
• Sweet Heart Red - maple-like leaves are greenish-red.

The foliage of kvamoklite looks beautiful, resembling cypress needles and ivy-shaped morning glory with variegated leaves. They look impressive in various combinations.

What does ampelous morning glory look like in a flowerpot

Liana is distinguished by its rapid growth, unpretentious cultivation, shade tolerance. All these qualities make the plant indispensable for decorating walls, imitating hedges, and for hiding possible defects.

Ipomoea ampelous looks great in pots, pots, floor vases and containers. Mobile containers are mobile, if necessary, they can be easily rearranged to a new place.

Considering that the vine grows strongly, the pot should be at least 2.5-3 liters per plant. When growing morning glory in containers, plant seeds at a distance of 25-30 cm. The flower is unpretentious to the quality of the soil, but prefers light, loose, non-acidic soils.

Many species and varieties of flowers are valuable because of the original color of the foliage.

If desired, you can grow the plant through seedlings. Young seedlings should be transferred with a lump of earth to a permanent place, taking care not to damage the root system.

Before sowing, the seeds are soaked for a day. Sowing should be depending on weather conditions, given that the plant does not tolerate frost. The critical temperature for morning glory is 2-4 ºС.

To prevent the plant from stretching when the fourth true leaf appears, the seedling must be pinched.

The plant easily tolerates a lack of moisture, but loves watering. It is necessary to ensure that there is no stagnation of water in the pots or pallets.

Morning glory always grows vertically. To form a plant in ampelous form, you need to put special supports or frames to make the shoots grow in the right direction. The frames are made of bamboo sticks in the form of a wigwam or metal ones with a circle at a height of 20-30 cm above the plant.The flower wraps around the frame, the main shoot stops growing, and the side shoots begin to grow in a horizontal direction, creating the correct shape of the ampelous plant.

Ipomoea picturesquely fits into compositions with abundantly flowering ampelous plants: petunia, fuchsia, surfinia, bacopa

For vertical landscaping, plastic grates or nets are used. With the help of a fast-growing vine, you can grow a wonderful background for the background in a month.

The flower is responsive to fertilization. For a more lush flowering, top dressing should contain a minimum of nitrogen. If the plant is grown for ornamental foliage, it should be fed with a complex mineral fertilizer. Caring for the plant is simple, any novice gardener can grow an morning glory.