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Ipomoea pes-caprae is a sprawling vine found on beaches from Texas across to Florida and up to Georgia. The flowers look similar to morning glory, hence the name beach morning glory, but the foliage is much different. It makes an excellent ground cover, with evergreen leaves and a quick-growing nature. What is beach morning glory? Well delve into that question together along with some fun beach morning glory info.
The cheerful flowers of beach morning glory (Ipomoea pes-caprae) bring brightness to coastal gardens all summer long. But when cooler temperatures threaten, special winter care is needed to ensure this tender perennial returns year after year. With some simple preparation, you can help your beach morning glories survive and thrive through winter.
Why Winter Protection is Crucial
Beach morning glories relish the warmth. Native to tropical and subtropical climates, they suffer damage when temperatures drop below 50°F. Frost can be fatal, burning leaves and buds. Freezing temperatures may kill the roots. That’s why proactive winter protection is so important. Take steps in advance to safeguard your plants through winter’s chill.
Tips for Preparing Beach Morning Glory for Winter
Follow these tips to prep your beach morning glories for cold weather
Choose the Right Location
Site beach morning glories in the warmest, most protected part of your landscape. A south-facing location against a sheltered wall or building is ideal. This shields plants from cold northerly winds and captures the most winter sunlight.
Provide a Windbreak
Wind makes winter feel colder. A windbreak further insulates tender beach morning glories. Use fencing, hedges, walls or close-planted evergreens to block chilling winds.
Add Insulating Mulch
Mulch acts like a warm blanket for plant roots. Spread 2-4 inches of bark chips, compost, leaves, or other organic matter around each plant. This helps moderate soil temperature during cold snaps. Replenish mulch as needed.
Consider Row Covers
Floating row covers of spun polyester or other fabric add another layer of protection. Drape them over plants and anchor the edges with stones, boards or soil. For extra insulation, layer row covers over low temporary frames. Remove row covers on mild days.
Try Container Planting
Growing beach morning glories in pots makes it easier to move them to shelter as needed. Shift containers to warmer microclimates near foundations or indoors in cold weather. Make sure containers have drainage holes to prevent root rot.
Practice Good Pruning
Prune back leggy growth in late summer or early fall. Remove weak or dead stems, leaves and flowers. This focuses the plant’s energy and primes it for winter survival. Disinfect pruners between cuts to avoid spreading disease.
Offer Winter Watering
Plants lose moisture more slowly in winter’s cool soil. But don’t let beach morning glories dry out completely. Continue watering on warm winter days when soil thaws. Prioritize young and potted plants which are most vulnerable to drought.
Hold Off Fertilizing
Fertilizing in fall can spur tender new growth that is easily damaged by cold. Avoid high-nitrogen fertilizers. But a low-nitrogen, high-phosphorus formula applied in early fall will aid root growth and strength.
Check for Pests
Inspect plants thoroughly and treat any infestations before winter. Pests and diseases weaken plants and make them less resilient to cold stress. Common beach morning glory pests include whiteflies, spider mites and beetles.
Wait to Cut Back
Leave top growth intact going into winter. Don’t cut beach morning glories back to the ground until spring. The remaining foliage and stems help insulate the roots and crown. Tender new shoots may emerge and suffer frost damage if you cut back too early.
Protect from Early Spring Frosts
Continue safeguarding beach morning glories in early spring when frosts remain a threat. New growth and flowering will be set back by a late cold snap. Be ready to cover plants or move containers back to shelter if a cold front blows through.
Ensure Winter Survival
A little preparation goes a long way toward helping tender beach morning glories survive cold weather. Take proactive steps in fall and your plants will be off to a vigorous start when warmer weather returns. Just a bit of winter protection will keep these graceful flowers gracing your seaside garden for years to come.
Beach Morning Glory Info
The tangled vines and deep taproot make growing beach morning glories perfect for stabilizing soil. Beach morning glories in gardens can perform as groundcovers. They are often seen tumbling in and over seawalls or along beach paths. Propagation is through seed or cuttings. Seeds do not need a dormant period but the seed coat must be scarified before germination, which occurs in every season but winter. These remarkable vines need little nutrition and have a high drought tolerance. To establish beach morning glories in gardens, take a cutting and set it into moistened sand. The internodes will shortly send out roots. Set them 3 feet (1 m.) apart and keep plants moist for the first few months.
What is Beach Morning Glory?
Beach morning glory is also called railroad vine due to its scrambling nature and ability to cover less used tracks and roadsides. It is adapted to coastal areas where sand is plentiful and the soil is well-draining. Salt, heat, and wind dont bother this plant and it is common to see it splayed across a dune in coastal regions. The large mats it forms help stabilize sand where it grows just above high tide. Beach morning glory can exceed 33 feet (10 m.) in length. It is native to coastal regions of North America and pan-tropical globally. In the U.S., it is hardy to zone 9 to 11. Leaves are 1 to 6 inches in length (2.5-15 cm.), double-lobed, thick, fleshy, and evergreen. The roots of this plant are often more than 3 feet (1 m.) into the sand. Flowers are funnel-shaped, darker at the corolla, and may be pink, reddish-purple, or dark violet. The perennial vine is just 16 inches high (40.5 cm.) but creates a tangled, low-growing thicket.
Growing Morning Glory in Pots | Learning from Last Year’s Mistakes
FAQ
Should I cut back morning glories for winter?
What to do with morning glories in the winter?
How to care for morning glories in the fall?
Do morning glory vines survive winter?
How do beach morning glories grow?
Beach morning glories in gardens can perform as groundcovers. They are often seen tumbling in and over seawalls or along beach paths. Propagation is through seed or cuttings. Seeds do not need a dormant period but the seed coat must be scarified before germination, which occurs in every season but winter.
How do you grow morning glories?
Morning glories are easy to grow from seeds, which can be harvested in the fall or early winter. The flowers will drop off and small, pouch-shaped seed pods will develop, which house the small, hard black seeds. Harvest morning glory seeds when the pouch-shaped pods are completely brown and dry — this means the seeds are ripe.
Can morning glories grow in shade?
They thrive in full sun – and heat — but will tolerate some light shade. Morning glories don’t transfer well, so plant seeds only when soil is thoroughly warm, or start them indoors four to six weeks earlier in peat pots which can be set out for transplanting without any root disturbance.
Can Morning Glory be planted indoors?
Another option is to start the seeds indoors in biodegradable containers that can be planted themselves. When is the best time to plant morning glory? Morning glories usually require about 2½ to 4 months to go from seed to bloom, so those sown outdoors after the last spring frost generally won’t flower until late summer and autumn.