Jasmine flowers are known for their sweet, exotic fragrance and delicate white petals These flowers are highly symbolic in Indian culture and commonly used in weddings, religious ceremonies, and other celebrations. If you’re looking to purchase fresh jasmine flowers for a special occasion or just to brighten up your home, it’s nice to know you can find these gorgeous blooms right in your local area.
12 Eye-Catching Flowers That Give Morning Glories a Run for Their Money
With their brightly colored trumpet-shaped blooms unfurling in the morning sun it’s easy to see why morning glories are so popular. But what other flowers can match their vibrant hues and whimsical forms? Plenty of climbers and vines make fine alternatives or companions to classic morning glories.
In this article we’ll highlight 12 flowers that rival morning glories with fancy trumpets twining habits, and non-stop color. Read on for beautiful options beyond the typical morning glory.
- Moonflower (Ipomoea alba)
Closely related to morning glories, moonflowers open their enormous white flowers in the evening, giving you nonstop bloom when paired together. Growing moonflower vines is just like morning glories. The unique night blooming and giant blossoms set them apart.
Frequency – Moonflower: 2
- Cypress Vine (Ipomoea quamoclit)
Another kin of the morning glory, cypress vine boasts feathery fern-like foliage that forms an airy backdrop for its small crimson-red trumpets. The fine-textured leaves offer delightful contrast and its red blossoms pollinators love.
Frequency – Cypress Vine: 1
- Cardinal Climber (Ipomoea x multifida)
Wow your eyes with the vivid crimson flowers of cardinal climber. The exotic look comes from its brightly colored trumpet blooms tipped with fringed and curled petals. Hummingbirds can’t resist these beauties.
Frequency – Cardinal Climber: 1
- Hyacinth Bean Vine (Lablab purpureus)
Lavender purple flowers resemble morning glory trumpets but with an extra frilled collar. As an added bonus, this fast grower produces purple pods and seeds resembling beans that are edible when immature.
Frequency – Hyacinth Bean Vine: 1
- Cup and Saucer Vine (Cobaea scandens)
Elegant purple and white blossoms set this climber apart. Flowers emerge green before opening to hues of violet, purple and white with shapely cup and saucer forms. Plants are covered in blossoms all season long.
Frequency – Cup and Saucer Vine: 1
- Mandevilla Vine (Mandevilla sp.)
No tender tropical vine can match the huge flowers of Mandevilla. Varieties come in pink, red, yellow, and white with flowers flaunting ruffled edges. Treat as an annual vine in cold climates.
Frequency – Mandevilla Vine: 1
- Black-Eyed Susan Vine (Thunbergia alata)
For cheery color, grow fast-climbing black-eyed Susan vine. Prolific orange, yellow, or white trumpet flowers with dark centers bloom spring to fall. They add a pop of bright color against fences and arbors.
Frequency – Black-Eyed Susan Vine: 1
- Passionflower (Passiflora sp.)
Unique passionflowers showcase complex blossoms with prominent stamens emanating from their centers. A vigorous grower, passionflower comes in shades of purple, pink and white depending on the species and cultivar.
Frequency – Passionflower: 1
- Crossvine (Bignonia capreolata)
This native vine delivers prolific orange and yellow trumpet blooms in spring over glossy evergreen foliage. They attract hummingbirds and butterflies. Allow room to grow since crossvine can reach up to 50 feet tall when established.
Frequency – Crossvine: 1
- Trumpet Honeysuckle (Lonicera sempervirens)
A twining vine that blooms spring to fall, trumpet honeysuckle bears clusters of slender red trumpets that attract hummingbirds. It’s an easy care North American native. Cultivar ‘Alabama Crimson’ has rich deep red blooms.
Frequency – Trumpet Honeysuckle: 1
- Clematis (Clematis spp.)
Abundant clematis species and cultivars offer diversity. Look for varieties of C. macropetala and C. florida for colorful trumpet-shaped flowers. Clematis make excellent companions to adorn supports while morning glories cover the ground.
Frequency – Clematis: 1
- Morning Glory Vine (Convolvulus sabatius)
Like Ipomoea morning glories, this relative produces an abundance of sky-blue trumpet blossoms that open in morning sun. Its low mounding form and trailing nature contrasts wonderfully with the bold climbs of morning glory vines.
Frequency – Morning Glory Vine: 1
With so many choices, you can mix and match morning glory lookalikes to suit your color preferences and garden conditions. Blend climbing forms with mounding groundcovers. Coordinate cool and warm flower hues. Time bloom periods for flowers from spring to fall.
The alternatives covered here all share the decorative trumpets and vigor of traditional morning glories. Yet each offers unique flower forms, colors, foliage, and growth habits. With a world of options, you can move beyond common morning glories to discover new climbing flowers.
25 Flowers that Look Like Morning Glories
- Yellow Trumpet
The Yellow Trumpet got its name from its yellow, trumpet-shaped flowers with large, soft petals. Here are some beautiful vines and climbers with yellow flowers that would pair nicely with morning glories.
Frequency – Yellow Trumpet: 1
- Petunia
Large petunia varieties resemble morning glory flowers a lot. Check out some incredible combinations with petunias that would complement morning glories beautifully.
Frequency – Petunia: 2
- Shrub Althea
With beautiful blue blooms boasting a violet center and white stamens, the Hibiscus syriacus marina is a gorgeous morning glory lookalike.
Frequency – Shrub Althea: 1
- Dendrobium Orchid
The Dendrobium has delicate, long-stemmed orchids with white, pink, or purple flowers that resemble morning glories. Here are some balcony orchid garden ideas that incorporate morning glories.
Frequency – Dendrobium Orchid: 1
- Orange Bush Monkey Flower
The orange trumpet-shaped flowers highlighted with red veins of this plant give it a similar look to morning glories.
Frequency – Orange Bush Monkey Flower: 1
- Datura
The Datura displays large, white, or purple trumpet-shaped flowers over green leaves that mimic morning glories.
Frequency – Datura: 1
- Brazilian Jasmine
With small, red, star-shaped flowers and a yellow center, the Brazilian Jasmine can be a nice morning glory companion. Check out some amazing jasmine plant benefits you should know.
Frequency – Brazilian Jasmine: 1
- Yael Oxalis
Grown for its small, delicate flowers that come in various colors, including white, pink, and yellow, the Yael Oxalis resembles certain morning glory varieties.
Frequency – Yael Oxalis: 1
- Nasturtium
The Nasturtium is a brilliant morning glory lookalike with bright, fiery-colored flowers, typically orange, red, or yellow.
Frequency – Nasturtium: 1
- Daffodils
Daffodils are beautiful choices to complement morning glories, with their long, narrow leaves and large, trumpet-shaped flowers in yellow or white. Here are the best March birth month flowers and their meanings.
Frequency – Daffodils: 1
- Cross Vine
With leaves covered in fine, soft hair, the Cross vine has trumpet-shaped flowers that come in red, pink, yellow, and orange like morning glories.
Frequency – Cross Vine: 2
- Hairy Petunia
Grown as a trailing or cascading plant, the Hairy Petunia has amazing lavender blooms with violet veins that resemble certain morning glory varieties. Learn how to grow fuller and bigger petunias.
Frequency – Hairy Petunia: 1
- Aylostera Heliosa
A small, cylindrical cactus with no leaves, this cactus has bright yellow, star-shaped flowers with yellow stamens that look like some morning glories.
Frequency – Aylostera Heliosa: 1
- Amaryllis
One of the best indoor plants, the Amaryllis, has beautiful light pink flowers with a yellow-green center that resembles morning glories. Learn how to grow Amaryllis in pots.
Frequency – Amaryllis: 1
- Tecoma Alata
Also known as the Yellow trumpet bush, this semideciduous shrub produces clusters of yellow to orange trumpet-shaped blooms like morning glories.
Frequency – Tecoma Alata: 1
- Pumpkin Flower
The pumpkin flower is large, showy, and bright yellow like certain morning glory varieties and is also edible and often used in cooking.
Frequency – Pumpkin Flower: 1
- Golden Angel’s Trumpet
The Golden Angel’s Trumpet produces large, trumpet-shaped flowers in yellow color, similar to yellow morning glories.
Frequency – Golden Angel’s Trumpet: 1
- Lily
The yellow Lily is another morning glory lookalike with beautiful blood-red patterns and stamens. Learn about leopard lily plant care.
Frequency – Lily: 1
- Allamanda
The Allamanda is perfect for growing as a bush and comes in beautiful yellow, orange, and purple colors like morning glories.
Frequency – Allamanda: 1
- False Jasmine
The False Jasmine flourishes in the sun and has small, yellow, star-shaped flowers with a yellow center that resemble certain morning glory varieties. Check out the amazing benefits of jasmine plants.
Frequency – False Jasmine: 1
- Cup and Saucer Vine
The Cup and Saucer Vine is a climbing plant with large, trumpet-shaped flowers, with the petals forming a cup-like shape and saucer-shaped sepals like morning glories.
Frequency – Cup and Saucer Vine: 1
- Hardy Gloxinia
The Hardy Gloxinia has large, trumpet-shaped flowers with petals that are ruffled and frilly, giving the flowers a fluffy appearance similar to some morning glories. Check out some pretty flowers that start with G.
Frequency – Hardy Gloxinia: 1
- Jasmine Tobacco
The Jasmine Tobacco is a tall, elegant plant with long, narrow leaves and small pink blooms that resemble certain morning glory varieties and have a sweet fragrance. Take a look at these types of jasmine flowers.
Frequency – Jasmine Tobacco: 1
- Montbretia
With long, sword-like leaves and large spikes of vibrant orange, trumpet-shaped flowers, the Montbretia mimics morning glories well. Here are the best types of orange flowers.
Frequency – Montbretia: 1
- Bellflower
The charming bellflower perennials bloom bell-shaped flowers in shades of blue, pink, purple, and white in the spring and summer that look like morning glories.
Frequency – Bellflower: 1
What to Look for When Buying Jasmine
When you source your jasmine flowers, there are some key indicators of quality and freshness to look out for:
- Tightly closed buds – Avoid flowers that are already open and blooming; tighter buds last longer.
- Bright white petals – Jasmine blooms should be bright, pure white. Yellowing or wilting suggests age.
- Intact blooms – Flowers should be intact on the stem, not crushed or damaged.
- Ample fragrance – Fresh jasmine is highly fragrant. Give flowers a sniff to check aroma.
- No browning – Leaves and buds should be vibrant green with no browning.
- Good stem length – Longer stems allow more flexibility for arranging and decorating.
- Proper storage – Seller should store flowers chilled and in water to maintain freshness.
The Significance of Jasmine in Indian Culture
In India, jasmine flowers (also known as ‘chameli’ or ‘mallige’) have tremendous cultural importance. They are considered sacred flowers in Hinduism and are often used to adorn deities in temples. Jasmine garlands and loose flowers are ubiquitous at Indian weddings – the bride and groom exchange and wear jasmine garlands during the ceremony. The flowers represent purity, fertility and auspiciousness for the couple’s new beginning. After religious ceremonies, festivals and celebrations, devotees will shower jasmine petals on the deities’ statues or idols as an offering.
The sweet scent of jasmine is also believed to have healing and calming properties in Ayurvedic medicine. Indians will often string the flowers together to make fragrant jasmine garlands to wear in their hair. So you can see why having access to fresh jasmine is so integral for Indian diaspora communities abroad. With the proper care the blooms can stay fresh for up to a week after purchase.
Are morning glories really invasive?! Why I grow them!
FAQ
What other flower looks like a morning glory?
The name false-bindweed comes from the resemblance of wild morning glory to the non-native field bindweed (Convolvulus arvennsis), considered one of the most troublesome weeds of agricultural fields in temperate climates worldwide.
What is mistaken for morning glory?
The annual morning glory (Ipomoea spp.) can be mistaken for the perennial weedy bindweed.
What is a good substitute for morning glories?
Morning glory alternatives that hummingbirds love
Another fascinating North American native vine to consider is the passionflower vine (Passiflora incarnata). Like the trumpet vine, it is native to the Southeastern US and is a hit with hummingbirds and other pollinators.
What to use instead of morning glory?
If you don’t have Morning Glory (water spinach), you can use a mix of tenderstem broccoli and spinach.