PlantFiles: Japanese Morning Glory
Ipomoea nil 'Tie Dye'

Ipomea nil syn Ipomoea imperialis, Pharbitis nil
This soft-stemmed, short-lived, twining perennial is best treated as an annual. Marginally frost hardy, it grows to 12' in height. Its stems are covered with hairs, and the leaves are heart-shaped. Large, trumpet-shaped flowers appear from summer through to early fall in a variety of shades.
Zones: 9-12
Cultivation:
Marginally frost hardy to frost tender, they are best suited to warm coastal districts or tropical areas. They prefer moderately fertile, well-drained soil and a sunny position. Care should be taken when choosing species, as some can become extremely invasive in warm districts. Propagate in spring from seed which has been gently filed and pre-soaked to aid germination, or from cuttings in summer (for perennial species).

The Ipomoea nil "Tie Dye" is one of my very favorites and can be easily confused with the flaked strain of Ipomoea purpurea.

I like all the tye dye type of flowers as they are surprising in there color variations. You can have almost solid to streaked or flecked or half and half they are just sooooo intresting.
:o)
Dee

I planted tie-dye morning glories for the first time this year. I purchased them from a grower on the West Coast. I received 10 seeds and 6 grew. This variety is different in that it grows side shoots. My homemade trellis filled out nicely. I live in Latham, NY and it's a Zone 5 growing zone.

This year the plants were slow to start growing because it was so cool and cloudy. They took off when the weather warmed up and was sunny. Fortunately they didn't stop once the gloomy weather came back. They and the calibrochoa are the only plants to be doing well. They are also hardy. They are thriving despite the times I didn't water them in time. Fortunately, they didn’t drop their leaves. A few turned yellow. I don't recommend you let the soil dry out.

The plants appear to be about 10 feet long. As I mentioned before, they grow side shoots you have to train back to the trellis. The leaves are large, trilobulate, rough in texture, fuzzy, and variegated in color. The flowers are large, round, and single. The color ranges from pale lavender to a true purple. Every flower is different. Tie dye is definitely a good description. It's nice having a lovely surprise to look forward to every day.

The plants are currently growing in a standard windowbox.. Because the leaves and flowers are so large, I hope to get a larger windowbox if possible and create some sort of trellis so they can grow straight up and the flowers are more visible.

These beautiful flowers attracted my attention enough to do some research on this plant. This species "includes rare large-flowered Imperial Japanese morning glories and a few kinds of common morning glory, including rosy red 'Scarlett O'Hara.' Early Call strain comes in a number of colors." (From Southern Living Gardenn Book)

A quick web search found a 'Tie Dye' cultivar for "Ipomoea x imperialis" with "gigantic flowers 6 inches across, deep purple and lavender, with lobed leaves splashed in silvery white." I found several references to 'Tie Dye' leaves being variegated, but the one place I actually found seeds for sale--www.hortusb.com--for $2.99, doesn't mention variegated leaves, just "6 inch, indigo streaked, lavender flowers on seven foot vines." One university site says that it will self sow, but the hard seeds take two to three years to germinate.

So I have learned something new today about morning glories, because I have been growing them for many, many years and never knew there were "rare, large flowered Imperial Japanese" types." I love gardening as I learn something new every day.