Gardeners are creatures of habit, it is only the changing seasons that give our garden activities variety. And like all creatures of habit, we collect favorite tools, seeds, and even favorite methods and motions as we happily plod through garden chores. To the casual observer, we may not appear locked into our set ways. But there is one favorite that always gives us away, our favorite plants! Using our Charming Bench Company products, we love to sit and watch our favorite plants and flowers blossom, creating a beautiful and tranquil outdoor space. I must add, different furniture styles pair well with different types of plants. Wooden furniture pairs well with light-colored plants and shrubs and dark pieces of furniture work well with boldly colored plants as there is a significant contrast between the plants and furniture, making the plant’s beauty stand out.
There is those few plants a gardener plants year after year. One of those plants, for me, are my most cherished moonflower vines. For moonflowers to grace my patio rail in summer, the young plants must first scale a four feet high brick wall to reach the railing. They cannot do this alone, and this wall must be crossed and covered will foliage before the summer sun makes the bricks too hot for vines and leaves. For moonflowers to grace the patio rail in summer, the planting should be soon after night temperatures are over fifty degrees. Ipomea alba is a tropical plant and cool nights will stunt or kill young moonflower plants.
Growing the Vines from Seed
Moonflower seeds are large, almost a quarter of an inch and may be brownish to white. To speed germination, each seed should be scratched with sandpaper, nail file, or nicked with a knife. This step allows moisture to penetrate the seed. Seeds can be soaked in water for 24 hours or planted directly into pots and watered thoroughly. The seed leaves will begin to break the soil surface in about two weeks. Plants will need to grow in a warm sunny spot until ready for planting outside.
When to Plant Moonflower Vines Outside
When spring has definitely sprung and the soil and night temperatures are safely I the fifties; it is time for the moonflowers to be planted. This is in early May here in Virginia, when it is safe outside for tomato and pepper plants, moonflower will be safe out also. To encourage growth where it is wanted, hanging string will give the young vines support as they grow upwards. To support the rapid growth in early summer and encourage many flowers, I add about three tablespoons for organic fertilizer around each plant. Plants are spaced about one foot apart to insure thick foliage and flowers.
Vines will have to be pinched and tucked back to keep them on the rail, and to keep them from encroaching on patio furniture like kudzu. When these vines are at full growth, the foliage can be quite heavy, and the railing will need all the support that it can get. There are specific fixings and fastenings products available at Tradefix Direct that I rely on when it comes to sustaining the railing. This in turn helps the vines blossom to their full potential. Flowering begins around late summer and continues until frost. They only come out at night, so that is when their fragrant beauty is worth staying up to experience.
How to Care for Moonflower Vines
The plants love sun, so be sure to plant them in partial to full sun. They are fast-growing vines which love to grow up towards the moon. It is imperative to plant them where they have room to grow and spread.
Luckily, they don’t require the best soil, and can often thrive in places where it is difficult to grow other plants. Moonflowers are highly susceptible to freezing and hard frosts. For this reason, they can be grown from Spring to Fall. Typically they require little care & attention, and are perfect for beginner to expert growers. Just be sure to tuck and pinch back the vines if they start to overgrow the areas you want them in.
I agree with you. They are my favorite too. I missed planting them last year and regretted it all summer. My husband says someone would make a fortunes if they made a perfume with it’s smell.
The Body Shop used to sell a fragrance called ‘Moonflower’, it was beautiful and smelled exactly like the flower…..
This is a nice article, I wholeheartedly agree and plant the moonflower vines on my fence every year!!! Can you do an article on harvesting viable seed from the moonflowers???? very few of mine seem fertile. Thank you!!!
I have pretty good luck in harvesting seed in the late fall/early winter and planting in the spring. I always soak in water for at least 24hrs before planting. I was surprised last year that I had plants to appear a couple of months later than my earliest germinating seeds.
I was giving up on my seedlings that I sow 4/6 and it was 4/26 and nothing had emerged. Then a heavy rain came. And they bursted. They grew fast after. Like twice faster then squash. That’s a lot to say.
There are MANY deer in our area — they eat “everything”….I mean EVERYTHING! Do deer like moonflower vines?
Moonflowers are poisonous to animals
Only stupid animals eat poisonous plants. It’s called natural selection.
I was all in until I read about them being poisonous to animals. We have abundant deer and other wildlife in addition to pets. I would rather not take a chance.
I have deer, chickens and barn cats and they all seem to know not to eat them.
We planted moonflower vines this summer, as usual. This year, for some reason, the squirrels ate them as fast as they could come up, and we have gone from having about 8 squirrels to only 1 or 2.
The hummingbirds sit in the flower cup and feed every evening. This vine is my favorite also! I have given seeds to relatives and they are hooked as well!
A hummingbird moth is attracted to the moonflower. I have only seen the moth at night, and I initially thought it was a hummingbird. If one looks closely, it is a large moth and moves like a hummingbird.
Can the vines grow up a fence that is those white never to be painted fences and will 4 to 5 hours of sun be enough thx Joe
can I grow moon flower in pots?
I have been growing a datura in a pot out front for several years. I use a tomato cage for support and it does pretty well. Of course, each year I being again from seed.
BTW, we are in NH.
Datura or Jimson weed is not the same plant as moonflower vine.
In KY my moon flower comes back every year (4 so far) after mulch over winter. I clip every spent bloom to prevent seeds maturing. Also cut out new sprouts beyond first in the spring. Many many blooms all season long.
There’s a very quick and easy way to get moonflower seeds to germinate! Thoroughly wet a paper towel.
Place the seeds on one half of the wet towel.
Fold the other half over to cover the seeds.
Slide the folded paper towel into a plastic into a plastic bag big enough to keep it flat.
Lay the bag in a sunny window.
Check to see if there’s growth in 4-5 days by holding the bag up to the light.
I allow the first leaf or two to open while the baby plants are still in the bag.
Then remove from the bag and plant the seedlings in starter pots till hardy enough and the temps are warm enough for them to go outside!
I have 90%+ success with this method! (Sometimes 100%)
And no seed knicking necessary!
Are moonflowers poisonous to dogs?
Yes. My 4 dogs are really dense and they leave then alone.
The Moonflower Vine is not toxic, according to this article:
https://www.thriftyfun.com/Toxicity-of-the-Moonflower-Vine-Ipomoea-alba.html
But there is a Moonflower bush that apparently is toxic..
I’m no expert, but just sharing what I read.
I have had to baby my first moon flower vine back to growing due to my Pitt bull eating the leaves and leaving just bare stems in the soil. 4 months later he is still alive and as duhhhh as ever! Can’t say as much for the vine. I’m still waiting on my first bloom. ☹️
My moonflower is not having any blooms although it’s growing and in the sun